


Trading Yesterday

by Redlightsdistrict



Series: World on Fire [1]
Category: Heaven's Secret (Visual Novel)
Genre: AU, Angst, F/M, OOC, Referenced suicide, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:55:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 56,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25587040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redlightsdistrict/pseuds/Redlightsdistrict
Summary: She died. Plain and simple.One moment she was living, breathing, feeling – and just a second after, her body fell heavily to the ground, bones crushing and shattering.And now, she has to choose whether she wants to stay dead - or accept her new life among angels, demons, and a whirlwind of temptations and fears.
Relationships: Geralt/Main Character, Lucifer/Main Character
Series: World on Fire [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2020844
Comments: 116
Kudos: 137





	1. Shattered.

**Author's Note:**

> 🌹 Find me on:  
> Insta: booksandreveries  
> Reddit: redlightsdistrict  
> Discord: Kat/redlightsdistrict#0642
> 
> 🌹 Game discord: https://discord.gg/xDNnqU
> 
> 🌹 Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0VzLVH3jbemZ0JZjEsGydj?si=t2tqjBeeT0OOo1zCtO025w

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a particularly shitty day and a sleepless night, and I told to myself: hey, Kat, let’s write another fanfic 😆 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy it and please feel free to comment your thoughts 💋

  
She died.

Plain and simple.

One moment she was living, breathing, feeling – and just a second after, her body fell heavily to the ground, bones crushing and shattering, and a dark red puddle of blood appeared from under her fire-red wild curls of hair. Her emerald-green eyes stared lifelessly into the blue skies, not able to see the cherry blossoms floating just above her picked by the gust of wind.

She couldn’t hear the sirens, couldn’t see the horror imprinted on strangers’ faces as they rushed to her body, screaming and shouting.

“She’s fallen out of that window!” A young man pointed towards the open window on the twenty-fifth floor of the skyscraper.

“Everyone, move aside!” The paramedics dropped to their knees, but it was too late. She wasn’t there anymore.

The older man put his fingers onto her lids and closed her eyes shut before turning to his partner.

“She probably lived in this building,” He shook his head. “She was so young.”

“And beautiful,” The younger man added, staring at her narrow nose and soft lips, and her porcelain skin. “Such a shame.”

She couldn’t hear them as they waited for the police, and she didn’t feel the hands that grabbed her by the arms and legs and packed her body into a black body bag. Nothing existed anymore. She didn’t exist.

A sudden hit made her snap her eyes open.

She was lying on top of the cliff, her body aching and sore, and she barely managed to tilt her head up to look around. She had absolutely no clue where she was, but the entire scenery made her heart thump faster inside of her chest. She sat up, rubbing her temples, trying to come to senses. The three things she could see were the blue skies with fluffy white clouds passing by lazily just above her head, the edge of the cliff, and a forest starting just a few feet from her.

Her body seemed to feel better with each passing second, and soon enough, she managed to get up. The moment she did, she felt like two hands grabbed her arms, each pulling in a different direction. One part of her needed to know what secrets are hidden behind the lush greenery of the forest, and another yelled at her to jump.

The redhead frowned, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Her brain refused to work properly, caught in a haze, it only had two compulsive thoughts: run or jump.

She was too tired of running, she’s been running for eighteen years, it had to stop now.

A flicker of hesitation in her eyes – and she’s bracing herself forward, letting the gravity take care of the rest.

 _This is just a dream_ , she thought to herself, closing her eyes for a moment. How many of those she had in her life, she couldn’t even count. Almost every night, she’d fall asleep and see herself falling, and falling, and falling, until she’d wake up, panting and crying, not willing to admit that she was crying because she didn’t want to wake up. She just wanted to finish the fall, and never wake up again, but she couldn’t take this step when she was awake, so she was waiting for these dreams, hoping, that once…

This dream wasn’t like any other she ever had. Something wasn’t right.

She felt too strong, her vision was too clear, and her skin was prickling with goosebumps, which had never happened in a dream before.

This wasn’t a dream.

She was actually falling, and the earth was getting closer and closer with each passing second.

Finally, her mind snapped back on, and she realized that she’s going to crash down if she doesn’t do anything to stop the fall. Her body tensed, holding in the air for a second, and two large, red wings spread behind her back, pulling her up forcefully. She almost screamed in pain at the sensation of her skin being ripped off her bones, when suddenly, the pain stopped, and she felt her body moving up until she was standing on the solid ground of the cliff again.

“This was something new,” A low, sniggering voice noted, and a moment later she saw a tall man with black hair standing just before him. He was all dressed in black, including black cape and a pair of... black wings?

“It was reckless,” A woman appeared next to him, all dressed in white, and the white feathers of her wings fluttered with worry.

“Don’t listen to them,” Another voice made her drag her gaze to the third person, a guy just a few years older than herself.

Redhead shook her head, and her own wings flopped behind her back and almost hit her.

“What the hell?” She asked finally, trying to convince herself that she’s not going insane. “Who – or what- are you?”

“Smart girl,” The black-haired man took a step towards her, and redhead instinctively took a step back.

“You’re scaring her, Geralt,” Woman grabbed his hand.

“No, he’s not.”

She took a few short breaths just to calm herself down and looked daringly at the man before her.

“Is that so?” He smirked, somehow amused, and his companion scowled.

“I’m Misselina,” The woman in white introduced herself. “This is Geralt and Andy.”

“I-I’m Kat,” She shot Geralt a look. “The question still stands.”

“Sweetheart,” Misselina took a gentle hold of her hand. “I’m so sorry but… you have died. And we’re here to guide you through the transition.”

Kat rubbed her temples.

“Died?” She asked, dumbfounded.

“You don’t remember?” Andy mused.

Geralt took a step forward, taking up the entire space before her, and moved his companions aside.

“You don’t remember your death?” His deep, luring voice now sounded just a tad worried.

“No,” She frowned, and her wings shuddered. “How is this all possible? How I can be dead? What the hell are those things?”

She started losing control, her emotions were running too high. Geralt’s hands grabbed her shoulders roughly, making the girl look up at him. His icy-blue eyes buried into her, and she felt a wave of calmness washing over her body.

“Calm down,” He said firmly. “You will remember, just focus. You just jumped, why?”

She frowned again.

“I don’t know,” She felt her cheeks blush. “I always do.”

“You always do what?” He demanded.

“I always jump in my dreams,” She whispered into space between them.

“You thought you were dreaming?” Andy butted in.

Before she could answer, her memories came down crushing. Her New York apartment, the open window, the fall… and the moment of excruciating pain before the world turned black. Now, she remembered it. She died. She died, and somehow, she was breathing again.

“What is this place?” She asked quietly. “And what does this,” She vaguely waved her hand. “Mean?”

Geralt smirked again and crossed his arms over his chest, still staring at her.

“All humans have to pass this test. You jumped into the abyss and gained your wings. Now, you belong to the Angel and Demons Academy.”

“Or, ADA,” Andy sniggered to himself, and Geralt sent him a killer look, making the younger man shrink in size under his cold stare.

“It doesn’t sound crazy at all,” Kat finally breathed out.

“Anyway,” Geralt seemed like he started losing patience. “From now on, you’re a student of the Academy, and you’re expected to choose a path…”

She squeezed her temples, trying to make her head stop spinning. Academy, angels, and demons – all this sounded like something from a bad teen movie, and she hated those. Geralt kept talking, but she wasn’t listening anymore.

She couldn’t care less about choosing between good and evil, she had absolutely no desire to go back to Earth and tempt mortals to ruin their lives – or to inspire them to be better, for that matter. She wanted everything to stop, this hadn’t changed with her death. She just wanted to stop existing, it’s why she jumped out of her window, right?

The redhead couldn’t remember exactly what happened, only the fall, but she must’ve finally gathered the courage and did it, right?

She snapped her eyes open, a solution formed in her head.

“Sorry,” She interrupted Misselina midsentence. “This is just riveting, but you all got it wrong. I’m not going to be an angel – or a demon. I don’t need any of it. Just… let me die in peace.”

With these words, she pushed her body into action before they could’ve stopped her and jumped.

This time, she had to consciously stop her wings from spreading behind her back, fighting back the urge to save herself. She didn’t want to be saved, she was just tired, she wanted peace. She wanted to stop feeling. The fall felt different this time when she knew exactly how it will end. Her entire life flashed before her eyes, so bright and colorful she felt sad for a second.

If only there was a way to stop feeling this way…

Two strong arms wrapped suddenly around her waist tightly, painfully, and pulled her body up.

“No!” She screamed, jerking out of the embrace. “Let me fucking die!”

Her vision got blurred with sudden tears, as the grip on her waist only tightened, no matter how desperately she tried to make him let her go, kicking him with her feet and fists, Geralt only pressed her harder against his chest, where she could feel his thumping heart. He was muttering curses mixed with some sort of reassurance into her hair, ascending them both, and slowly, she stopped struggling, relaxing in his strong embrace.

She missed the moment the tears started running down her face, the moment when she herself wrapped her arms around the stranger and let her soul pour out onto him. She missed the moment when he carefully lowered her onto the ground, she only pressed herself harder against him, letting all the pain spill out with tears.

She didn’t care how ridiculous she must’ve looked, and how pitiful and fucked up she was, a suicide girl who tried killing herself after gaining her wings. She couldn’t remember when was the last time she let herself lose control like that, moreover, when was the last time someone held her in their arms like this, comforting her awkwardly until she finally recomposed herself enough to pull away.

Geralt’s face changed immediately, there was no trace of compassion or worry left.

“Next time, you’ll die,” He spitted out before suddenly pushing himself up, his wings flopping angrily.

Girl’s face flushed red when she turned to Andy and Misselina.

“I-I’m…” She had no words. She just let them see her meltdown, plain and simple.

“It’s fine, my dear,” Woman brushed her arm softly with her hand. “It’s understandable, you’re just overwhelmed. I promise, things will get better once you’re at the Academy.”

Misselina turned to the forest and suddenly whistled loudly.

“Fyr!”

A huge dragon appeared from behind the trees.

“Andy, help Kat, please,” She looked at the redhead. “Fyr is a sea dragon. He’ll carry you to the Academy.

The girl wrapped her arms around the dragon’s scaly neck, and Misselina whispered something to the beast, and it took off into the sky. Her first impulse was to close her eyes, but she stopped herself, and looked around, pressing her knees into Fyr’s sides, and tensing the muscles of her thighs, as if she was riding a horse.

Andy was flying nearby, making sure she doesn’t fall off the dragon.

“You okay?” He asked, staring at her with a mix of curiosity and something else, something she couldn’t identify.

“Do I look okay?” Kat snapped but quickly took emotions under control. “I will be.”

Even in her afterlife, she had to pretend, had to keep everything under control. Even in death, she couldn’t find her peace. She stared before herself, not blinking, not noticing the beautiful pink skies and glimmering sun rays playing on her alabaster skin.

Dying wasn’t that scary or painful – living was.

She took a few deep breaths and ran her fingers up and down Fyr’s neck, just as she did with her favorite horse, Onyx. Dragon craned his neck and looked back at her, and she could see the sadness in his large azure eyes.

“Fyr doesn’t like when people are sad,” Andy prompted. “It makes him sad, too.”

“Does it?” Kat leaned forward, pressing her forehead against the back of the dragon’s neck. “I guess, I’ll try not to be sad, then.”

She stroked the dragon again, letting him carry her into her new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this story, leave comments and kudos, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0VzLVH3jbemZ0JZjEsGydj?si=t2tqjBeeT0OOo1zCtO025w


	2. She belongs to fairytales.

Before long, Fur’s strong paws hit the Academy grounds, and Kat jumped off the dragon, her wings flopping awkwardly behind her. Her messy curls bounced and looked like fire under the bright rays of golden sun as she took a few steps forward, looking around.

“Why so long?” Geralt’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and the girl looked up at the demon.

He stood just a few feet from her, arms crossed, and eyebrows furrowed. The man looked rather irritated as if he had no patience to even give her a few seconds to adjust to her new life. Misselina took a step towards Kat, throwing a glance at her companion.

“Geralt, be patient. The poor child must be still confused.”

Kat huffed under her breath: _no fucking kidding._

“She’ll have plenty of time to gawk around when I’m not late for class because of her.”

“Class?” Redhead shook her head.

“This place is called the Academy. What did you expect?” Geralt’s icy-blue eyes narrowed into two lines when he looked at her.

She expected nothing. She wasn’t even supposed to be alive. She was supposed to be rotting in the ground right now, and part of her heart felt like she was, like her actual body was buried six feet under and she could feel the cold earth wrapping her like a bloody blanket.

People don’t suddenly become immortals when they kill themselves, she was supposed to be in Hell… but maybe, she was. The eternity of being alive – that did sound like a punishment for committing an unforgivable sin.

“I’ll show her around,” Andy volunteered, and the demon’s eyes flickered to him.

“I don’t think so,” Geralt’s upper lip twisted in distaste.

“I’ll show her around,” Misselina interrupted them, taking Kat’s hand into her palm. “Follow me, dear… Fyr, you’re free for now.”

Sea dragon bowed his head, nudging Kat’s back, and she turned to face the beast. He stared back at her, and she slowly ran her fingers between his eyes, just like she used to do with Onyx.

Geralt sniffed and turned round on his heel, ready to leave.

“Do you need a special invitation?” His gaze fell on Andy.

“I don’t have a class now.”

“You have, now,” Demon said mockingly. “Move it.”

Kat followed them with her eyes until both men turned the corner and then looked at Misselina, grazing her bottom lip between her teeth.

“So, this is like a private school for angels and demons?”

They walked through the lawn surrounded by ancient buildings that, in Kat’s mind, should’ve crumbled apart centuries ago. They walked through the colonnade and turned into one of the corridors, steps echoing from the marble slabs. They started climbing the stairs when Misselina finally spoke.

“This Academy is the best place to learn about your powers and take them under control, dear child. Birth angels and demons aren’t obliged to attend but most of the parents send them here. Unclaimed – people, who got their powers after death – must attend the academy, to learn about our world, cognize their power, and choose their path.”

“Path?”

“You can be either angel or demon, you have to choose a side,” Misselina gestured towards one of the paintings. “This world was created based on the duality of things. Good and bad, light and darkness, angels and demons – this is the balance. Without one, there isn’t another.”

“What immortal hand or eye, dare frame thy fearful symmetry?” Kat said slowly.

“Excuse me?”

She chuckled softly.

“It’s a poem, about a tiger and a lamb, being created by the same being… you know,” She whistled and pointed somewhere up. “God?”

“Shepha,” Misselina smiled. “You’ll learn more during your lessons. But, as I was saying, soon, you’ll be ready to choose your side.”

“What if I don’t?” Kat caught the angel’s uncomprehensive look. “What if I don’t want to choose a side?”

Misselina’s face changed immediately.

“It is not something you have control over,” She said sternly. “Once you pass your test, you’ll join either angels or demons, there’s no other option.”

Kat bit hard on the inner side of her cheek, holding back from snapping at the woman. She won’t let these people – or whatever they were – tell her what to do. She might’ve been there, but she wasn’t going to play by their rulebook, those days when someone could order her round were gone, they ended with her death.

“Here, this is your chambers,” Misselina pushed the door open, and Kat walked inside.

 _‘Chambers’ was a bit of an overstatement,_ redhead’s brows furrowed as she looked around the room that looked a lot like her old room at the boarding school. Soft peach and beige tones, heavy furniture, and high-pile carpet that was calling to walk barefoot.

She looked towards the bathroom door and frowned.

“Well, since I’m dead, do I need to use the bathroom? Or eat? Or sleep?”

Misselina laughed softly.

“Your earth's body is dead, but _you_ are not. Unclaimed are still attached to their human side, so yes, you’ll need the food and water. Once you become angel – or demon – you’ll be able to choose whether you want to keep that connection by feeding your human part – or, if you’d like to cut it off completely.”

The woman put her hand on Kat’s shoulder.

“I know, it’s a lot, but try to just accept it. This is your new life, Kat, and I promise, it will be great.”

Redhead rolled her eyes, turning her back to Misselina. She had doubts she wanted to live this new life, to begin with, and these empty promises didn’t make her feel any better.

“Look around, and come downstairs, most of the students will gather outside for the break, this is a good way to make friends.”

Misselina gave her arm another squeeze and left the girl alone. She crushed on the bed and grabbed a pillow, pressing it tightly to her face, and screamed. It came out muffled and distant, and she screamed until there was no more air in her lungs.

She didn’t want any of this, she didn’t want to go back to school, didn’t want eternal life, and mostly, she didn’t want these two things on her back that kept reminding her of what she was now – an unclaimed. A human so unlucky, she couldn’t even die normally. Death didn’t bring her peace, she still felt everything, just the way she felt it last morning, and a week ago, and last month, and last year.

A loud bang on the door made her look up and brush the tears off her cheeks just the moment a dark-haired girl braced into the room, panting.

“Oh Shepha, it’s true! You’re the new unclaimed Andy’s been talking about!”

The girl walked up to Kat, her black feathers fluttering in excitement.

“And, you’re beautiful!” She extended her hand. “I’m Mimi.”

Kat took her hand carefully, hoping that this strange girl doesn’t notice her reddened eyes.

“Kat,” She frowned. “Andy’s been talking about me?”

“Oh, yeah, he couldn’t shut up!” Mimi started pacing in excitement. “He told us that you passed her test by jumping into the abyss… twice.”

Kat’s breath stuttered and she slowly got up, her back painfully straight. Apparently, something in her face changed, making Mimi stop pacing.

“Um, yeah, I didn’t mean to… My stupid mouth,” Mimi frowned. “I’m just here to invite you to join us at the rocks, we have some time before the next class – and everyone wants to meet you!”

“Why?”

“Why?” Mimi’s dark eyes widened in surprise.

“Why everyone wants to meet me?”

“We don’t get new humans that often, last time it was Andy, and it’s been an awful long since then,” Mimi shook her head. “C’mon, get dressed, and let’s go!”

Kat looked down at her outfit: jeans and an oversized sweater, the clothes she died in. A sudden thought dawned on her.

“Is there an angel shoe store somewhere? Or a demonic department store?”

Mimi laughed.

“Don’t worry about it, you can borrow my clothes, and Misselina will figure out the rest, she’s the one that helps the Unclaimed to adjust.”

“What about that demon guy? Mm, Geralt?”

“Oh, Geralt… He’s not the friendliest person.”

“You could say that again,” Kat’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment at the memory of her recent breakdown.

“Seraph Crowley – the Headmaster – appointed him to work with Misselina, but he hates it and doesn’t try to hide that he’d rather go to Hell than ‘babysit ludicrous Unclaimed’… Sorry,” Mimi clamped her hand to her mouth. “I didn’t…”

Kat shook her head. “It’s okay. I figured already.”

They left her room and walked past the few other doors before they were before the door to Mimi’s room. It looked exactly the same as hers, only in dark burgundy colors, and every flat surface was buried under piles of clothes.

“Don’t mind the mess,” Mimi pulled the closet doors open. “Please, be my guest!”

Redhead slowly approached the hangers, surely, full of black clothes, and grabbed one of the dresses, just a simple silk slip-on with thigh split.

“How do I even put this on?” She pointed at her wings. “This things…”

“Meaning, wings?” Mimi snorted. “Your wings are beautiful, by the way,” She blushed a little. “I’ve never seen an unclaimed with such strong wings, and its color…”

She ran her fingers through the feathers lightly. Kat just shrugged: she saw nothing beautiful in looking like a hybrid of human and chicken. It took her a few moments to realize that Mimi helped her out of her sweater and was now tugging on her hand.

“Just slip it on, and it’ll adjust.”

“Adjust?”

“Just trust me.”

Redhead gave her a sidelong glance and wiggled out of her jeans before slipping into a dress, just like she normally would. It fit perfectly, and Mimi handed her a pair of black heels.

“We should hurry,” Demoness grabbed her wrist the moment Kat’s feet slipped into the shoes.

They left the room, Mimi almost running and Kat dragging behind, trying to process whatever had just happened. Apparently, she just made her first friend here. She shook her head: you don’t just make friends by talking to a stranger for five minutes. You don’t just walk into the new world and start leaving there…

She had to shake her stupor off, she couldn’t let anyone see her like that. Before she figure out how to get out of here, she should play along.

The moment they got outside, Mimi pulled her into a half embrace and spread her wings.

“I’ll give you a ride, beautiful.”

They rose above the ground, cutting through the air, and Kat’s heart fluttered in her chest when she finally noticed how ridiculously peaceful this place looked. Golden sun rays played on her fair skin making it sparkle, and the air itself was saturated with serenity, and for the first time since she woke up at the top of that cliff, she felt at ease.

A few moments later, Mimi lowered her atop of one of the buildings.

“This is the rocks?” Kat looked around.

“We call it that because of these,” Mimi pointed at the huge crystal formations.

“Hey, it’s the Unclaimed!” A ginger guy with black wings approached them, grinning. “You forgot to mention she’s hot as the pit of hell!”

Another guy separated from the main crowd and followed him.

“Kat, this is Adi,” Mimi shot him a glance. “Or, as I call him, the pain in my ass.”

“Rude,” Adi’s green eyes sparkled as he stopped just before Kat, studying her intently.

“I’m Sammy,” A dark-haired guy stopped next to him, smiling warmly, and the white feathers of his wings brushed Adi’s face softly. “Andy’s jumping, again.”

Mimi rolled her eyes.

“Humans are such show-offs,” Her eyes widened. “Oh, Kat, I didn’t mean…”

“No, you’re right. Humans indeed are show-offs.”

She studied the two new guys. A demon and an angel, if judge by the color of their wings, both not much older than herself. They looked like any college boys if college boys were immortal and had wings.

“So, I’ve heard, you jumped,” Adi kept staring at her. “Twice.”

Kat winced.

“What can I say? Always wanted to try parachuting, but turns out, there’re no parachutes up here.”

She couldn’t call this place Heaven, even though it was obvious it – at least, for everyone else. For her, this was the new circle of hell, and she wanted to get out of this place. She cast a glance towards another group of people, and met the stare of two grey eyes.

“Fraternizing with the Unclaimed?” A tall, curvy girl turned her gaze to Mimi. “That’s a much better company for you, indeed.”

“Shut up, Austie,” Adi scowled, squeezing Mimi’s hand reassuringly.

Austie snapped her fingers, and the entire group of people went silent, watching the unraveling drama. She took a few steps closer before continuing: “Poor Mimi, had to stoop so low to get laid.” Demoness sniggered and someone in her company followed the lead.

“No one ever wants baby Mimi, so she has to pester an Unclaimed, how pathetic.”

“That’s enough, Austie,” A dry, stern voice coming from behind Kat’s back made everyone freeze.

Slowly, Kat turned her head, already knowing who was able to shut everyone up with just three words. Geralt was standing behind her, arms crossed, and his cold gaze traveled slowly from Austie to Mimi and then back to Austie’s company.

“As far as I’m concerned, you should be in my class in five minutes,” He arched his eyebrow. “I’m expecting to see you there not a second later. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir,” A choir of voices replied.

“Good,” Geralt nodded at Mimi. “Grab the jumper and head to class. All, dismissed.”

He looked at Kat.

“Except you.”

She watched everyone as they left the rooftop hastily. Austie threw a spiteful glance at Mimi as she jumped off the edge, her large ink-black wings flattering in the air powerfully. When everyone left, redhead looked up at the demon. He stared back at her but didn’t seem in a rush to start a conversation.

Again, her memory threw a picture at her: she, crying in his arms like a fucking baby, and Kat’s face went hot. Grazing her bottom lip between her teeth, she just looked at the man, trying to figure out what he could possibly have to tell her – and why was he still keeping quiet.

“You were going to say?” She finally gave under.

He tutted.

“The Headmaster was… concerned to learn that you’ve tried to consciously lose your wings.”

“What?”

Geralt rolled his eyes and took a step towards her. Now, she could see the silver clasps of his belts, and part of her wondered about his strange outfit. He studied her for a second as if trying to figure her out.

“You gained your wings when you jumped into the abyss the first time,” He said slowly, watching her reaction. “When you did that again and purposefully refused to use them, you’ve made the fall. You’ve fallen from heaven – almost.”

Kat rubbed her temples, anticipating a throbbing migraine.

“You should’ve let me fall,” She said finally, lowering herself onto the ground and hiding her face in her palms. “I don’t belong here.”

She felt the movement of the air when Geralt sat down next to her and grabbed her wrists, making the girl look at him. She wasn’t crying, her eyes were painfully dry, but she still felt exposed, as if he could see through the façade, right into her soul.

“That is ridiculous nonsense that I will not tolerate. You’ve passed your test, and this,” He nodded at her wings. “Is the proof of how much you do belong here.”

Her breath stuttered for a moment when she realized that his long, slender fingers were still wrapped around her wrists, and she had to will her pulse not to jump.

“Everyone’s acting like t _his_ is not a big deal,” She said bitterly. “But it is, it’s my fucking life. I should have a saying, don’t you think?”

“Your saying was, and I quote, “let me fucking die”,” Geralt quirked his eyebrow, and suddenly, Kat laughed. She couldn’t explain her own reaction, but she bent over, falling her head onto his shoulder, and erupted into loud, almost hysterical laughter.

She didn’t care how crazy she must’ve looked at that moment, didn’t care that he’s a teacher and she’s being irreverent, didn’t care that her entire life turned into a plot of a bad young adult book. She kept laughing, harder and louder with each passing second, until she was out of breath, panting, little beads of sweat forming on her temples, but she couldn’t stop.

She couldn’t stop laughing because if she did, she’d started crying, again. And she wasn’t going to cry, she wasn’t going to spend her afterlife just the way she spent her actual life, choking on her own tears.

“Stop it,” Geralt’s stern voice made her stop immediately, only accidental giggles slipped off her lips.

Kat pulled away, moving as far away from her teacher as it was possible considering that he was still holding her wrists with one hand.

“Better now?” He asked dryly, letting go of her hands finally, and she nodded. “Fantastic. Seraph Crowley is waiting for you. Now.”


	3. All the flowers faded away.

Kat’s footsteps echoed against the marble floor and the columns as she followed Geralt through the inner garden and all the way to the East wing. She stared at the black feathers of his wings, hypnotized by the way they bounced as he measured out his pace. His black robe followed him, fluttering behind his back in time with his steps, and it made her think of those superheroes from the stupid movie posters.

He stopped before a massive door made of ivory inlaid with gold and turned to the girl.

“Headmaster Crowley is waiting for you,” He stepped aside and pointed at the door.

“You’re not coming with me?” She mumbled before biting the tip of her tongue.

He gave her a long studying look that made her skin prickle with a million of goosebumps and shook his head ‘no’. Kat took a deep breath as if preparing for a dive and stepped forward. The same moment, the doors moved open, letting the girl in. she threw the last glance at Geralt whose face was an emotionless mask and stepped inside the Headmaster’s office.

“Come on in, child,” Seraph Crowley was sitting behind the desk, his battered wings fluttered as he tipped slightly forward to take a better look at her. “Please, sit down.”

She sat in a chair, her wings brushing against her sides. Headmaster studied her for a very long moment, gliding his gaze slowly from the pale skin of her face to the tips of her blood-red wings and then down to Mimi’s dress. His glazed eyes made the tiny hairs on her arms bristle, and for a second, she felt like his stare somehow crawled under her skin.

It was an uncomfortable – unsettling – sensation playing on her skin, and the only thing Kat wished for at the moment, was to get the hell out of this place. Finally, Seraph relaxed against the back of his chair and curled his lips into the fakest smile one could expect from an angel.

“Kat,” He spitted her name as if it was venom. “Please, tell me, how are you finding the Academy? Are you adjusting well?”

She looked at him in disbelief: he must’ve been joking, right? He couldn’t believe in his sane mind that she was somehow okay with the reality the got thrown into without any consent on her part, could he?

There must’ve been something in her face that gave out her feelings for Seraph to suddenly frown.

“Listen to me, child,” She could swear there was a barely masked threat in the tone of his voice. “I can understand that it is not an easy transition for you, and we all are here to do whatever it is in our power to help you out. But you should put effort, too. Do you understand me?”

Redhead nodded slowly, squinting her eyes to return the studying look. He was not as powerful as he believed he was, she could see it in the worry that was bathing at the bottom of his eyes, and in his beaten up wings, trembling ever so slightly even though the man was sitting still. He was concerned with her presence, and the girl wondered if he was just avoiding any possible commission she might cause – or if there was something else, something more than the unwillingness to deal with drama.

She took a mental note to keep an eye on the Headmaster, unconvinced in any of his good intentions. He had the exact same look in his eyes as the Headmaster of her boarding school when she got transferred there three years ago. That man was tolerating her only because he had no choice, but he wouldn’t hesitate to make her life difficult hadn’t she played by his rules. Needless to say, her life wasn’t easy from day one.

Kat couldn’t tell for how long they just kept staring at each other before they got interrupted by the loud voices coming from behind the door. Startled, they gave each us worried looks when the heavy doors flew open, letting in a tall, dirty blond guy who barely managed not to crush the vase with exotic flowers that were sitting on a table right next to the door with his massive snow-white wings.

“You can’t let her…” He cut himself short as his eyes fell on Kat.

He stopped in his tracks staring at the girl, his light-blue eyes burning holes in her face, and a thrill of electricity ran down her spine, making the feathers at the tips of her wings flutter. For a short moment, their eyes met, and she caught a glimmer of astonishment in his eyes before the young man turned to Seraph Crowley.

“Pardon me,” He said sternly, willing his breath to calm. “I did not know you weren’t alone.”

“Dino, my boy,” Seraph gave him an attempt of a friendly smile. “Please, let me introduce you. Kat, this is Dino, one of the two best students of the Academy. Dino, Kat is new here, she only got her wings.”

A large floor clock came into action, and Seraph suddenly stood up.

“Excuse me, I’ve got a meeting now, Dino, please, show Kat to Geralt’s class.”

“Seraph Crowley, I need to speak with you,” the angel reminded.

“Later, my boy,” He turned to Kat and curled his lips into another unconvincing smile. “I hope you will soon find yourself enjoying your new life.”

_I seriously doubt that._

She nodded, getting up to her feet, and looked at Dino expectedly. With a small eye-roll, he pointed at the door, letting her out first.

As they left the Headmaster’s office, the angel made her a sign to follow him and strode towards the stairs leading to another level. Kat fell into step with him, trying to ignore the tension emanating from his body. She did not expect a guided tour from a guy she just met but this silence was too hostile, and it took just a few seconds for it to start getting on her nerves.

She grabbed him by the wrist, stopping the angel abruptly.

“What?” Dino looked down at her with barely contained annoyance.

“That’s exactly what I was about to ask,” Redhead’s upper lip twitched slightly. “What’s your problem? I would’ve asked ‘what’s your problem with _me_ ’, but you seem to be sane enough not to have one with someone you’d just met.”

He stared at her for so long, Kat started to wonder if he was ever spoken to like this before. Angel looked like one of those popular guys that every girl wants to climb, naturally, he’s probably never got to hear any truth about himself. Luckily, she had absolutely no problem changing that.

“You don’t belong here,” He finally spat out.

“Oh, is that so?” She retorted. “ _You_ decided that?”

Angel huffed, crossing his hands over his chest. “Not because you’re a human. You don’t belong here since you’ve got no respect for what this place is about.”

She rolled her eyes.

“I’ve been here for all of five minutes, how do I get respect for something I barely know a thing about?”

“You decided to fall the moment you got your wings, you clearly don’t want to be here,” His eyes filled with repulsion, and she saw red.

She hated guys like him, so assured of his own perfections that it never crosses their mind they could be wrong. He probably wasn’t just the best student. No, he must’ve been perfect in everything, if it was a thing here, he was probably doing charity projects in his free time, like being in a big brother program for some lowlife.

Slowly, redhead took a step towards him, closing the distance between herself and the venom-spitting angel. In Mimi’s shoes, she was almost his height and her anger made the girl look bigger, almost dangerous.

“You’re right,” She said slowly, keeping her voice quiet so he had no other choice but to listen closely. “This place can get blown to pieces and I wouldn’t care.”

She took another step closer, and now their faces were mere inches apart.

“But _you_ are not the one to decide whether I do or do not belong here. You are just yet another arrogant prick who thinks he’s better than everyone else just because he’s slightly less deficient than the people around – and because enough of dumb bitches ready to spread their legs for you. So next time you have a problem with someone you know shit about – use your brilliant brain and realize that no one gives a damn about your opinions.”

A loud sound of someone’s clapping echoed around them, making bot Kat and Dino jerk away from each other, looking around.

A black-haired man with crimson red eyes stepped out of the shadow.

“Poor Dino, even the Unclaimed can see through your good angel façade,” He tilted his head a little, taking a better look at Kat before dragging his gaze to Dino. “Pathetic.”

“You’ve got no business here, Lucifer,” Angel spitted out.

“Au contraire,” Lucifer smirked. “I find it amusing that this little Unclaimed had the guts to call out our local celebrity.”

She was done with both of them. She was barely holding back the tears most of the time, she hated every fucking second of this hell, she surely didn’t need any of this.

“See you never, boys,” She blurted, pushing past Dino.

The tattooed man stared at her with a flicker amusement in his eyes as she flipped her long fire-red hair over her shoulder, and her wings hit him in his chest. She turned her head just slightly but said nothing, moving up the staircase.

She was tired and sad and probably still depressed. She stopped feeling the pain from her broken bones a few seconds into her new life, but it wasn’t the case for the excruciating pain inside of her chest. Death turned out not to be such a good idea, and now, apparently, she got stuck in this ridiculous academy for douchelords and girls who dress like wannabe BDSM mistresses.

She had absolutely no idea where she was heading, so she just took the first turn and found herself in a large hall with multiple doors, all seem to be facing a large sculpture.

The idea of going back to school was barely thrilling but, apparently, she had no other choice. Seraph Crowley – _what the fuck is this name_ – made himself crystal clear without articulating the words: she either behaves, or there will be consequences. And while she was usually the one to jump on a 'trouble train', this time, it was different.

Kat touched the feathers of her wings: what even was she? She wasn’t a demon or angel, she was just a loser who couldn’t kill herself without getting into more shit. The irony was somewhere there but she couldn’t catch it.

As she stood in the middle of the empty hall listening to distant voices, one of the doors flew open, revealing Geralt’s annoyed face.

“In case it slipped from your attention, I teach _inside_ the class,” He looked down at the girl, and his icy-blue eyes warmed up just a tad as he realized that she couldn’t possibly know which classroom was his.

He stepped aside, and she took a few uncertain steps. _At least, those two assholes aren’t here_ , she thought to herself moving past Geralt, brushing his chest with her wing as she walked. His eyes darted to her for a second but suddenly, his posture has changed. Any warmth that his gaze might’ve been holding disappeared as his eyes fell on two figures, walking across the hall.

“Dear me!” Demon flung his arms up. “I’m so honored you two decided to grace us with your presence.”

Kat turned around on her heel, and her gaze tumbled into Dino and Lucifer.

“Forgot to mention, _love_ ,” Lucifer gave her a sarcastic grin. “We’re classmates and will see each other slightly more often than never.”


	4. So far from home.

Kat was standing in the middle of the class, gobsmacked, trying to figure out if she was just dreaming. She stared at Angel Fencio in disbelief, pretty sure this guy should’ve checked himself into a nice mental rehab a few dozen years ago.

“You want me to do what now?”

It’s been, supposedly, about a week since she got stuck at this godforsaken place – she couldn’t be sure, since the time here was working differently. It seemed like she would go to sleep and wake up two seconds later, annoyingly refreshed and well-rested, and the days would drag on forever. Every day seemed the same as the day before even somehow, each day held more unpleasant surprises, and by the end of the week, redhead felt so mentally drained Austie’s snarky remarks during their joined class were left unnoticed.

Angel Fencio, who turned out to be Asshole’s Number One – Dino’s – father, looked back at her irritably.

“You’ve heard me. I’ve explained everything you need to know now, so get a move on.”

Blinking at him, Kat dragged her gaze to Sam and Adi, who were just sitting at the desk, giggling at her dumbfounded expression. This couple was annoyingly amusing, and she preferred their company to overly affectionate and excited Mimi and sleazy Andy, who told everyone that she tried to get rid of her wings not even five minutes after gaining those ugly feathery things.

She shook her head and turned on her heel, almost bumping into Austie.

“Watch where you’re going, Unclaimed,” The demon girl scowled, shouldering her.

“If the entire room is too small for you, you should consider going on a diet. So your ass actually fits those ugly pants you’re wearing,” Kat snapped back, pushing herself forward.

Adi’s laughter filled the room, and Sammy nudged him painfully on the shoulder, even though the angel was barely holding back a smile himself. Both guys jumped to their feet as if they’ve been only waiting for her, and Adi wrapped his arm around the girl’s shoulders.

“Are all humans so feisty?” He asked with a grin. “It was hot, wasn’t it, Sammy?”

The angel rolled his eyes at his boyfriend. “I can always leave you two alone.”

Kat grabbed his hand in fake horror.

“Oh, no, please, don’t ever leave me alone with this pervert! If I didn’t know for sure this place has no Internet access, I’d say he spends too much time watching kinky porn.”

Bantering, they slowly approached the Vortex, and Kat took a deep breath as if preparing for a dive. She had no idea how this thing was supposed to work but had no other choice but to trust that it won’t send her to fucking Alaska.

“Just think about your assignment, and the Vortex will take you where needed,” Sammy squeezed her shoulder reassuringly before pushing her into the whirl of thick, milky-white clouds.

She closed her eyes thinking about her task: to convince some stupid girl to either stay in college or follow her hipster boyfriend to hell - he was moving to Tampa, which was the same thing in redhead’s opinion. In a few moments, the Vortex spat her out in the middle of the lawn and disappeared, leaving the girl alone and confused.

It seemed like no one had noticed her sudden appearance, and Kat looked around, searching for the girl with whose life she was supposed to play. Somehow, she knew exactly who the right girl was the moment she saw her, and it felt more than odd. As if with each step she took towards the girl, their connection was growing stronger.

She felt the power tingling at the tips of her fingers as they were finally close enough for Kat to put her hand onto the other girl’s shoulder.

“Oh?” The college student looked startled for a second. “You scared me.”

“I’m sorry,” Kat couldn’t recognize her voice anymore, to this girl, she looked nothing like herself. “We take,” She looked around and spotted a chemistry workbook. “Chemistry together. I was wondering if I could borrow your notes, I’ve missed the last class.”

The lies were falling off the tip of her tongue easily, naturally, as Kat continued looking into the other girl’s eyes. She didn’t know how it was possible, but she felt as if she was compelling the poor girl into doing anything and everything she tells her to do, and her stomach twisted into a tight knot. She didn’t like having this power, she didn’t want to play with the girl’s life, she knew too well what it felt like to be on the receiving end of this game.

“Yeah, sure,” The girl gave Kat her notebook. “Amanda” was written on the cover, along with her phone number.

“Thank you… Amanda,” Kat’s insides flipped: she couldn’t do it. She won’t do it.

When she was ready to back away, Amanda sighed and looked her in the eyes.

“Hey, I know we don’t know each other but can I ask you something?”

“Um, sure?” Kat nodded as they both sat down on the grass.

Fiddling with the blades of grass, the college girl took the time to think about her words, and Kat just sat there in silence. She couldn’t care less about the stupid assignment, she never signed up to be this freak with a set of wings that were still very much annoying to carry around on her back all day long. She never signed up to decide what was going to happen to somebody else, and surely, she never signed up for some asshole to boss her around.

Kat huffed under her breath, imagining Angel Fencio’s face when she gets back to the Academy just to tell him that he can go and fuck himself and his assignments. She wasn’t going to play with people’s lives, and if he has a problem with that – well, _he can hit the bricks._

“So, I’ve been dating this guy,” Amanda broke off the silence finally. “And I love him, and I think he loves me back… but he’s a free spirit, you know? He can’t sit in one place for too long, so he decided to move to Tampa and start a band with his old classmates…”

_Sounds like such a decent, eligible man._

“And he asked me if I wanted to come with him. Because if I don’t… well, he doesn’t believe in long-distant relationships.”

_Of course, he doesn’t._

“What should I do?” Amanda asked, chewing on her bottom lip. “I’m so confused, this school has been my dream since I was ten, but I love him, and I don’t want to lose him.”

Kat barely held back an eye-roll and grabbed Amanda’s hand, trying to comfort the girl. “Look, I don’t know you or this guy, but to me, he sounds like an ultimate dipshit. If he loved you, he’d never made you chose between him and your entire future.”

She felt the same familiar tickling in her fingers and looked down at her hand that was still clenched on Amanda’s and spotted a slight shimmer as the other girl nodded slowly.

“Yes, you’re so right… I can’t sacrifice everything I’ve been working for so hard just to move to fucking Tampa,” Amanda’s face lit up with a smile. “Thank you, you’re an angel… Oh, shit, I’m late for my next class!”

The other girl took off before Kat could’ve said anything else, leaving the redhead alone and confused. She knew her advice was a good one, she’d tell this to anyone who got caught in a situation like that – but somehow, it still felt wrong. She just influenced someone’s life, not in a natural way, she used her… powers?

“Little unclaimed angel,” Someone’s sniggering voice made Kat almost jump, and she turned hastily to see Lucifer’s smug grin.

“The hell you’re doing here?” She got up to her feet, dusting off her skirt.

“Nothing,” He shrugged. “I was nearby and felt your energy. Decided I might as well enjoy the show. You were so torn with this whole ‘influencing mortals’ lives’ thing, it was rather amusing.”

Kat scowled at him: Satan’s son was on the long list of people she’s been avoiding. Actually, he was pretty much in top-three of that list, right after his angelic nemesis and Angel Fencio. She took a deep breath to calm down and turned away from Lucifer, summoning the Vortex.

“Aw, can’t summon the Vortex?” He sniggered behind her back. “I’m not surprised. You don’t want to go back to the Academy so much, your energy won’t let you summon it.”

“So, you’re now suddenly a psychotherapist?” Kat frowned. “Instead of being a smartass, you could’ve just done it yourself.”

Lucifer’s eyes sparkled with amusement as if he found her annoyance rather entertaining, even now, when it was directed at him. His red eyes were now glimmering softly in the bright sunlight, and for a second, she lost herself in his stare. He picked on the swift of her energy immediately, and a huge smug grin stretched across his face, snapping Kat back into reality.

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Your energy is a lot of fun to read,” He took a step towards the girl and caught one of her curls between his finger, playing with it as he spoke. “It’s much stronger than any other Unclaimed I’ve ever met.”

“Is that you calling me special?” She huffed, and the demon chuckled.

“Don’t flatter yourself, kitten,” He lowered his face to her. “I’m only saying you’re entertaining to observe, nothing more.”

And again, he was back to being an arrogant asshole. Not in a mood to fight, she focused her thoughts, and the Vortex appeared the same moment. She didn’t want to go back to the Academy, but she wanted to escape the devil’s spawn badly enough for it to work.

“I’d say it was nice seeing you but that’d be the most unconvincing lie of all unconvincing lies,” She jumped into the Vortex, thinking about that time she called her parents' apartment in New York a snake’s layer.

Just a second later, she was standing in the middle of the street, staring at the apartment building that she’d recognized without even looking at it, its energy was so strong she would’ve known it was in front of her even blindfolded. She rushed to step onto the pavement before she caused a car crash and dragged her gaze to the doorman who was talking to one of her old neighbors.

“Poor child,” Mrs. Peterson shook her head. “She was always so sad, I wasn’t surprised when she did it to herself. It’s been a year since then, but I’m still thinking about her.”

“She always treated people nicely,” The doorman, Vanya, added. “And, she was beautiful.”

Kat couldn’t believe her ears: for them, it’s been a year since she fell out of her living room window, but to her, it seemed like just a week ago. She took a deep breath, remembering Misselina’s lessons on Heaven and Hell and how her immortality was affected by how much time she spends there as opposed to how much time she spends on Earth. She flipped her hair over her shoulder in annoyance: what was she even doing here? This was the last place on earth she’d missed, so why this stupid thing brought her there?

Suddenly, Vanya looked around and spotted the girl. His eyes fell on her, and for a moment, Kat’s heart skipped a bit: what if he recognized her? What if somehow, he just knew she was the dead girl walking?

“Hello, miss,” He took a step towards her. “Can I somehow help you?”

She let out a small sigh of relief and forced herself to smile: “No, I was just… I knew the girl you were just talking about, I just stopped by to, mm, pray for her.”

_What, I live in fucking Heaven now, aren’t I?_

Vanya’s face lit up as he nodded approvingly.

“How did you know her?” He asked, staring deeply into the girl’s eye.

“Um, just, you know, from life,” Kat frowned a little. “I… I was sad to know she did this to herself.”

The doorman nodded, eager to continue with the conversation. He was just a couple of years older than her and growing up, she would sometimes hang out with him when he came around after school to visit his father who was working on the maintenance team. She sighed and stepped closer to him, not willing to lie even more but feeling his need to discuss this with someone.

“I knew her a little, too,” The young man said. “She wasn’t particularly cheerful, but I would never think she was going through something that had pushed her to take her own life.”

She barely contained a laugh: she was so damn good at tricking people into thinking she was fine, at some point, it became a second nature, to pretend. Death did her good, at least, with this: now, she had no need or desire to hold back or hide her feelings. Now, she was giving people exactly what they deserved.

“I guess,” She nodded. “But you can never know for sure.”

Vanya looked around and shuffled closer to her. “Can I say something crazy?”

“Um, sure?” She looked up at him with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

“I don’t believe she did it to herself. The cops decided it was a suicide but I just… I don’t believe it. She always seemed so… empathetic, you know? She wouldn’t do it like that, she wouldn’t just jump out of her window in the middle of the day.”

She stopped listening to the guy, thinking over his words with a sudden feeling of uncertainty. She still couldn’t remember the moment she jumped, she remembered the fall but not the jump. It seemed as if those few seconds were just erased from her memory, and she couldn’t understand why.

Suddenly, she realized that Vanya had stopped talking and was just looking into the distance.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

She turned hastily around herself and almost stumbled into Dino who was staring at her with fury in his eyes. His large white wings were half spread, feathers fluttering in barely controlled anger as he took a step towards the girl, looking down at her with a look of disgust on his face.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” She snapped back. “Are you spying on me now?”

“You never got back from your assignment,” He hissed, taking another little step towards her as if trying to absorb all the space around them. “Father asked me to check if you were alright.”

“Oh, sure, your daddy asked you, and you ran immediately like a good lapdog you are,” She unconsciously shifted forward. “Perfect little angel, aren’t you?”

She was so done with all of them, with this constant Unclaimed bullshit, with everyone watching her every step, she was done with being their lab rat, she was just done.

Kat pressed her finger into the angel’s chest. “You can tell your father to fuck off, and also, you can fuck off yourself.”

She spun on her heel, ready to just walk away, but he grabbed her by the wrist, digging his fingers painfully into her skin, and pulled her roughly so she was almost pressed into him as the angel spoke.

“Listen to me, ungrateful human,” He spat the last word out. “You will follow the rules, and you will do so without mouthing off or I’ll make sure to arrange you a fun playdate with Satan, am I being clear?”

A wave of uncontrolled anger rushed through Kat’s body as she pushed him roughly away from herself, shaking his hand off hers.

“I don’t give a flying fuck about the damn rules, angel,” She spat the last word just like he did seconds before. “I’m done playing by someone’s book, and if you think I will let anyone control my fucking afterlife, you all are in for a surprise.”

She was fed up, if this what the eternal life was, doing stupid assignments and following orders from people she hated, she’d rather be rotting in the ground, oblivion to everything. The Vortex picked her up the second she jumped into the air, thinking about the only place on Earth where no one would’ve found her.

She landed painfully on her knees, hitting the hard ground of the Cliffs of Moher. She got up to her feet and walked to the very edge of the cliff, looking at the waves rocking below. She looked up into the gloomy skies and spread her wings, ready to take off.

“Going somewhere?” A low, dangerous voice asked almost compassionately.

Slowly, she turned around and looked at the man before her.

“I should’ve known they’ll send you,” She said, defeated, and closed her wings.

Geralt tilted his head to the side and smirked darkly.

“Smart girl.”


	5. I was made for more than this.

Defeated, Kat lowered her gaze to stare at Geralt’s heavy boots, combing her thoughts in an attempt to find at least one worth vocalizing. She knew that she crossed a few lines, new that she’ll have to deal with the consequences, she was aware of how stupid and reckless it was to do what she’d done – but none of it could have change the fact that she would’ve done it all over again.

The demon was studying her face in silence, reading all the new emotions in the furrow of her brows, in her lips now curled downwards, in her large emerald-green eyes glistering with pain and anger.

“You feel better now?” He asked finally.

She shot her eyes at him and slowly shook her head. “Not really.”

 _Why would he even care?_ This thought got stuck in her head as the girl watched her teacher as he continued studying her. She wasn’t angry anymore, just tired and sad, and Geralt was the only person she was willing to show these emotions to – something inside of her just knew he wouldn’t use her weakness against her, unlike everyone else in that damn school.

“Why are you doing this?” She wondered, her voice quiet and weary.

He slightly arched an eyebrow, and Kat barely held back an eye-roll: this little gesture was somehow both annoying and… She shook her head: _no, there’s no ‘and’, just annoying._

“Why did you become a teacher?”

She spotted a look of surprise in his face as if no one ever thought of asking him that, and it took him by surprise coming from this random girl he’d met not so long ago and who already was a huge pain in his ass. With a smirk, he took a tiny step forward, and Kat’s face suddenly went hot under the intense stare of his icy-blue eyes.

“Maybe I have a secret schoolgirl fetish?” He said, tilting his head to his side as if taking a better look at the girl before him.

The redhead gawked at him for a few seconds before she finally gave out and burst into laughter. Her soft, melodic laughter filled the air between them, tuning out the sound of rocking waves, and the demon couldn’t help a little smile forming at the corners of his lips. She suddenly looked so vulnerable, this little moment of happiness brought out her true colors more than her rage towards Dino or her desperation when the Vortex brought her to the Cliff of Moher or her bickering with Lucifer.

Only now, when no one else could see her but him, she let her other side out, the side she probably was terrified to show because this side was too fragile, too weak and barely existing, and just one wrong word, one flounce – and it would be gone for good.

Watching her, he frowned to himself: he was supposed to take her back to the Academy and deliver to Crowley for a grilling. Instead, he was making jokes and thinking about the ways to make her feel just slightly better. He was her teacher, and she was a rebellious student, there was only one thing to do...

“Follow me,” He said firmly, spreading his wings and taking off so abruptly, the small pieces of soil and grass burst from under his feet.

Without thinking, she took off, too, trying to catch up to the demon who was already somewhere between the clouds. She followed him there, chasing until she finally caught up with him, barely breathing. He looked at the girl and hung in the air flopping his wings slowly. She did the same, catching her breath, her chest rising and falling heavily as she looked at him.

“Now?”

Somehow, she knew exactly what he meant.

“A little,” The redhead nodded, slowly brushing a strand of stray hair out of her face. “Would it be a fall if I closed my wings now?”

Even if her question startled him, the demon never showed his surprise. “No. For it to be a fall, you should fall out of Heaven, and this is not it.”

“Would I die if I hit the ground?”

“No, but it would hurt like hell.”

“Good.”

She looked deeply into his eyes and closed her wings.

For a second, he just froze, watching the girl as she disappeared immediately between the clouds. Her body felt light as a feather, the fall felt just as good as flying, even better as she knew there will be an inevitable end to it.

Geralt caught up to her, flopping his wings violently. “Open your damn wings, reckless girl!” He spat out angrily, ready to catch her any moment now.

“I can’t die, you said it!” She yelled back.

“You’ll hurt yourself,” He reached his hands out as the ground got even closer. “I’m not letting you just do stupid things on my watch.”

“Would you rather I did stupid things when you’re not around?”

She suddenly smiled, spreading her wings and slowing down the fall mere feet above the ground, fighting the gravitation just as fiercely as she fought everything else in her new life. She couldn’t stop the fall completely and landed flat on her back, barely holding back a whimper of pain when her bones hit the hard ground at the top of a cliff.

With a scowl, Geralt lowered himself next to her, crossing his arms on his chest. “You reckless girl,” He repeated, slowly kneeling beside her. “I told you it will hurt.”

She looked straight into his eyes. “It’s okay. I don’t mind the pain.”

Something in the tone of her voice made his blood rush through his veins, boiling hot. She propped herself on her elbows, breaking off the eye contact, and winced ever so slightly, trying to hide how badly she was injured.

“Why are you fighting this so much?” He asked finally as she managed to sit up, panting. “Is being an immortal such a bad thing in your eyes?”

Not a single person ever asked her that, and for a moment, Kat couldn’t find the right words. None of these people cared enough to actually wonder why she was always so angry, why she couldn’t go a day without picking a fight, why she’d be rather dead than at the fucking Academy.

“Because it’s still me,” She answered finally. “Death hadn’t changed the person I was before. Just because I’m now some sort of a hybrid of human and a fucking bird, doesn’t mean I don’t feel emotions I felt before dying. I feel them, ten times stronger, and it’s torture.”

She wasn’t sure why this man cared about her feelings, she sometimes couldn’t be sure that he actually cared about anyone or anything – but at the same time, he was the only person she trusted in the entire world. Adi and Sammy were growing on her but even they seemed too… shallow? Too full of ‘being an immortal is cool’ concept.

Geralt wasn’t like any of them. Something inside of him seemed familiar as if they were somehow the same.

“And this life? Is this all I will ever do? Making life decisions for mortals knowing how it feels to live by someone else’s rulebook? Is that the reason I was born? Just so I could die and spend the eternity doing something I hate?”

Her bitter words hung heavily between them as she finally went quiet not meeting her teacher’s eyes. She hated the sound of her voice, so broken and hurt, and she couldn’t bring herself to look up and see some sort of pity in his eyes – and so, she just sat there, fiddling with the blades of grass.

The air around them was getting colder, and the girl shivered slightly.

“Look at me,” Geralt said finally, and she dragged her gaze up from the ground until their eyes locked. “You won’t be doing _this_ all your existence. You will once leave the Academy and start your actual life… No one can be absolutely free,” He chuckled darkly, touching the belts on his neck. “But you can fight for your freedom. Just be smart about it, don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment.”

He leaned forward, grabbing her shoulders. “Whatever you do, think it over first. You understood?”

Kat nodded slowly, staring at him. His tone of voice was suddenly too serious as if he was trying to communicate more than just that. She felt his fingers finally unclench from her shoulders as the demon drew back, returning the usual half-annoyed look to his eyes. He got up to his feet and glanced at the redhead as she tried to do the same.

Her muscles were ready to give out, the adrenaline rush left her empty and sore, and she almost stumbled over her feet. Geralt rolled his eyes and grabbed her by the waist, helping her keep her balance.

“That what happens when you’re being a stupid, reckless girl,” His low voice sent little goosebumps over her arms.

His arm wrapped around her waist almost protectively as the demon summoned the Vortex and pulled both of them up. His body heat burned her even through the layers of fabric between them, and the feeling of being safe enveloped the girl, almost knocking her out for a moment, overwhelming her with sudden peacefulness.

It was so her, feeling safe in the arms of an actual demon, she would’ve laughed hadn’t she been scared to ruin this moment... even though she wasn’t exactly sure what that moment was.

In a few seconds, their feet hit the marble of the school corridor a few feet from the Headmaster’s office, and Geralt immediately took a step back from the girl, crossing his arms over his chest. He gave her a long, studying look and then sighed.

“Go back to your friends.”

“What?” She looked up in surprise. “But I thought…”

His stern gaze stopped her mid-sentence, and Kat just nodded.

“Thank you,” She whispered as she walked past him, rushing to get outside before he had time to change his mind.

Her footsteps echoed from the walls and high ceilings as the girl walked down the stairs, torn between the need to be alone and fear of quietness of her chambers. She was halfway through the main Hall when she heard familiar voices, arguing.

“Well, go ahead then,” Sammy blurted out. “Do it. I don’t care.”

“I never said I will do it,” Adi’s voice was full of irritation and defense. “Why are you making a scene out of it?”

Unsure of what to do, Kat took a step back, looking for an escape path.

“Whatever, Adi,” Sammy retorted, and a moment later he turned around the corner, stumbling into Kat. “Oh.”

She felt her cheeks blushing as he stared at her. “Sorry, didn’t mean to pry,” She mumbled. “I just got back from my assignment.”

Adi joined them a moment later, visibly rattled.

“Where the fuck have you been?” He demanded, staring at her with his unusually dark green eyes. “Fencio sent Dino to find and bring you back.”

“Well, he found me,” Kat felt the anger slowly creeping back into her chest and took a deep breath, trying to cast it away.

Sammy studied her face for a moment before sighing and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

“What’s wrong?” He asked her softly. “How was your assignment?”

The girl frowned a little. “I did what I had to do. I saved her from ruining her life. Or so I hope.”

Adi rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re taking their side,” He nodded at his boyfriend.

“I’m not taking anyone’s side,” She bit her tongue, but the words were already hanging between them heavily. “Sorry, I know, you guys hate it when I say this.”

Sam shook his head.

“It’s not just us, it’s how this world works, whether we like it or not.”

“This world is also against the two of you,” She said quietly. “And in my eyes, that’s calling for a change.”

She hated that these two couldn’t be together openly, hated that they had to pretend to be just friends being surrounded by people, hated that even Geralt seemed to be blindsided to the stupidity of some of the rules they all had to live by.

Adi’s eyes softened as he shuffled closer to her.

“You silly Unclaimed. This world exists since forever, nothing can change it,” He said bitterly, and his boyfriend nodded sadly.

Kat looked at both of them thoughtfully and then wrapped her arm around Adi’s waist pulling him closer in, her other hand clenched on Sammy’s shoulder.

“I promise you, boys, I’ll do whatever it takes to prove you wrong.”


	6. Carnival of rust.

The maze in the Adam and Eve’s garden caught her attention as Kat walked outside, stretching with her entire body. It was too early, and the entire school was still asleep – the only time of the day she could’ve been alone with herself. The only time she felt like she could hear her own thoughts.

She couldn’t tell how much has passed since she died – maybe, now it was five years? Ten years? She stopped noticing time some time ago, and it used to scare her in the beginning but not anymore. She looked in the mirror and she saw the same familiar face, her bright auburn hair looked the same, and her emerald-green eyes never changed the color. She was the same person, only now she had a pair of wings she still couldn’t get used to – and an approaching exam she was secretly hoping to fail. 

She would go to bed every night and wake up every morning, the same person as she was the day before, day after day. She wasn't changing, not even a little. For everyone back on Earth, she's been dead for years now - and she felt like part of her _was_ dead. 

Shaking herself into action, the girl spread out the wings and took off, hoping that floating among the soft-peach colored clouds might help to clear her wandering mind. The girl closed her eyes and let her wings flop lazily behind her back as she hung in the air, listening to the silence. For just this long, she was finally free. Free from doubts, expectations, and fears. She was just this creature with a set of wings and no care in the world, even for just a short moment.

Suddenly, something hard crushed into her, making her lose her balance. Caught off guard, the started falling, her mind went completely blank.

“The hell, Unclaimed?” A familiar voice barked next to her, and a pair of strong hands wrapped around her waist, lowering Kat back on the ground.

“What the hell was that?” The redhead stared angrily at Satan’s son. “If the sky is too small for you, time to go on a diet.”

He stared back at her blankly for a moment before giving in. She’s never heard his laughter before, and she didn’t expect it to sound… like _that_. His soft, low voice sent a thousand goosebumps all over the girl’s body, almost kicking the ground from under her feet.

“Funny little Unclaimed,” Lucifer said quietly, taking a step closer.

His red eyes sparkled ever so slightly when Kat took a small step back unconsciously, confused with her own reaction. “Don’t be scared, I don’t bite. Unless you want me to,” He added with a smug smirk.

“Don’t count on that,” She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Why are you even up so early?” She felt the desperate need to swift the conversation in a safer direction. “Aren’t you some sort of Prince of Darkness or whatever? Don’t you have servants bringing you coffee in bed while you’re sleeping in?”

His playful attitude changed the same second as if someone flipped a switch in his head.

“That’s not of your concern,” His upper lip twitched a little. “Just watch where you’re flying next time.”

Before she could’ve said anything, he was gone. She stared at the empty space where the demon just was, her hair fluttering from a gust of wind raised by his wings.

“That wasn’t weird at all.”

The redhead scowled a little, looking around. The maze caught her gaze again, and she slowly started walking in its direction, as if pulled by an invisible string. Mimi fed her with all the stories about angels and demons disappearing in the maze, but it was hard to believe that the school would’ve let something so dangerous stay untouched on its grounds.

Randomly, she thought of those books about the wizarding school she read as a child and how that place was once called the safest place - yet people kept dying and injured there every year. Kat rolled her eyes at her thoughts and walked into Adam and Eve’s garden. She walked past the blooming trees that she couldn’t recognize and stopped before the entrance to the maze.

What if she walked into it right now? If she got lost, would anyone try to find her? Did she want to be found?

She was ready to take a step forward when Fyr soared down next to her. The sea dragon snorted in her face and bumped his scaly head against her shoulder.

“What do you want?” Kat’s hand slowly ran up the dragon’s neck. “I thought you were with Geralt and that bitch Misselina.”

She had no idea why she had such a difficult time liking most of the people in this school, especially, the angels. Besides Sammy, she couldn’t stand any other white-winged creature, and somehow, it only made her feel worse about herself. She was supposed to be on their side because that was the side of all good people, right?

She was supposed to join the angels at some point because that was the right thing to do. Because every time she had to go on yet another assignment, she knew that she at least pushed those people in the right direction. Or, at least, she hoped she did. So why was she so resentment to accept the fact that one day her wings will change into snowy white?

“Are you tired of that condescending face, too?” She asked Fyr, caressing his big head. “I don’t blame you. Angels are assholes.”

“Hey!” Sammy’s playfully offended voice made the girl jump.

Kat turned to him and smiled at the angel and Adi who was trailing behind with his face full of the world’s sorrows. Her heart filled with tenderness the moment Sam grabbed the demon by the hand as it was just the three of them and no one could see them now. She remembered her promise, and there wasn’t a single day when she didn’t think about it.

She watched the two boys as they approached her and wrapped her arms around both of them.

“What’s that for?” Adi’s green eyes sparkled. “Why are you suddenly so soft first thing in the morning?”

Kat rolled her eyes and tightened her grip around his neck. “I can be rough if you’d like me to,” She whispered lowly into space between them, sending little goosebumps over the demon’s body.

She let go of the boys and patted Fyr’s neck.

“What should I do with you?”

The sea dragon snorted and lowered his head onto her shoulder.

“I think he wants you to take care of him,” Sammy said quietly as he observed his friend and her new pet. “And he’ll be taking care of you should you take him.”

Adi rolled his eyes.

“He’s just a silly dragon, why make it so dramatic?”

Kat’s eyes darted between the two guys as she felt the immediate change of tone. Sammy gave his boyfriend a side glance and turned back to Fur, stroking his neck gently. The girl pushed the thoughts about them aside and looked into the dragon's eyes.

“So, you want to hang out with me?”

Fur snorted softly, and she smiled at him. “Okay, then.” She looked up at Sammy. “So, how does it work?”

“You should ask Luci,” Adi butted in. “He’s been calling for the purifying rain for… forever,” The demon chuckled.

“The what now?” Kat glanced at him, and Adi’s lips curled into a smile.

“It’s the most beautiful thing ever,” He said quietly. His entire demeanor changed as if finally, there was something besides cockiness and rebelliousness as if he finally cared. “It brings peace.”

Sammy’s arm snaked around his boyfriend’s waist as the angel pulled him closer.

“Lucifer and Dino do it every year,” Sam added. “Both of them have their sea dragons but I don’t think you’d be willing to take advice from Dino.”

Just the mention of the asshole angel made the blood in Kat’s veins boil. After that time Fencio sent his son to find out why she was late after her assignment, Dino never skipped a chance to throw her under the bus in and outside the classes, both he and Austie were insufferable, and at this point, the redhead was ready to fight them both.

The only thing stopping her was that she still struggled to figure out what her secret power was, which annoyed her, Geralt, Headmaster, and everyone else, for God knew what reason.

“Maybe I just don’t have any power!” She snapped at Geralt during her last class with him. “Maybe I’m just an ordinary Unclaimed that shouldn’t even be here!”

She stormed off out of the class and then spent many long, excruciatingly annoying minutes in Crowley’s office, listening to his barely hidden threats. And now, she was supposed to spend every evening practicing and trying to uncover her powers – under the supervision of whichever asshole the Headmaster decides to assign to her.

“Yeah, I’d rather take a dull knife and shove it right in my trachea than talk to that scambag,” Kat nodded to Sammy and turned to Fyr. “Okay, buddy, find me later tonight, okay? I’ll figure out what to do with you by then.”

She patted the dragon, and he huffed into her face before taking off.

“The attitude,” She shook her head but couldn’t hold back a small, private smile. “I guess, I have a devil to catch.”


	7. I know you will find me in orbit.

“You,” Angel Fencio’s angry eyes buried into Kat’s as she walked into the classroom. “Right on time. I’ve got an assignment for you.”

With a heavy sigh, the redhead walked up to him and froze a few feet away, staring back at the man, challengingly. She just spent the entire morning trying to find Lucifer, but Satan’s son was nowhere to be found, so she had to give up on her search. And now, the last thing she wanted to do was going back to Earth for a yet another ridiculous assignment.

She still couldn’t forget the last time: she was sent to a strip bar to convince the head of the mob to let his ex-partner leave the gang. Given that she was sent there in a disguise of one of the strippers, Kat wasn’t too excited to find out that somehow the entire Academy knew about her assignment.

Redhead frowned at the memory of Austie’s sniggering face and crossed her arms over her chest.

“So, where are you sending me this time? Straight to a correctional facility? Mental rehab? Tampa?” She spat out, looking Fencio straight in the eye. “At least, I should get paid for humiliating myself.”

He looked down at her, a crooked grin playing on the angel’s lips.

“Seraph Crowley’s assigned you a supervisor,” Fencio cocked his head. “I’ve heard you’re heaving troubles uncovering your powers – so, this assignment might help you with that. Not to mention, after the last time, no one trusts you to go on your own.”

Kat rolled her eyes: no one mentioned she couldn’t convince the mobster to call the police and turn himself and all his people in.

“Here he is,” Fencio nodded someone behind the girl’s back. “You’re late.”

“I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m really not,” Lucifer stopped next to Kat and frowned. “What am I doing here?”

“Is he… No,” Kat groaned in frustration. “He can’t be.”

“Unclaimed makes no sense,” The demon stared at Fencio.

“Headmaster Crowley decided that she needs a supervisor to help her uncover her powers – and I decided that she needs a supervisory during her assignments, too. From now on, it’s your job,” The angel sent Lucifer a grin full of unhidden malevolence.

“This is ridiculous,” Lucifer’s brows furrowed. “I’m not a babysitter.”

“Well, I don’t want to have you following me around,” Kat rolled her eyes. “I’d rather just jump off that cliff for the third time than spend five minutes alone with you.”

“Shut up, both of you,” Fencio’s lips twitched in disgust. “If you have a problem with Seraph Crowley’s decision, you’re welcome to speak directly to him. Now, get the hell out of here,” He grabbed a piece of paper and shoved it into Lucifer’s hand. “Her assignment.”

Without a word, the demon spun on his heels and walked out of the classroom, the feathers on his wings fluttered dangerously, almost vibrating with anger. Kat fell into step behind him and followed Lucifer down the corridor until he finally stopped and turned to her abruptly. For a long moment, he just studied her carefully with his sparkling red eyes without saying a word.

He looked down at the piece of paper in his hand, and for a second, a deep line cut through his forehead before he managed to put his usual inscrutable mask back on. Unceremoniously, he grabbed the girl’s hand, and the Vortex appeared the same moment. Lucifer pulled her into the spinning whirlwind of milky-white clouds and finally opened his mouth. Kat saw the struggle in his face as the demon said finally: “Be careful.”

The Vortex spat her out, and Kat found herself standing on her knees on the marble floor, her hands tied. She blinked, trying to adjust her vision, and noticed a few other people, also tied and on their knees.

“Just perfect,” She huffed under her breath. “Exactly what I needed.”

“What?” The woman on her right whispered.

“Nothing,” Kat scanned the room and spotted two men wearing masks, both armed.

They were in the middle of the bank, based on what she could see from her spot. All the blinds on the windows were closed, and she could see one of the cameras smashed. She had no idea what her assignment was and frankly, she couldn’t care less. Every time she had to go back to Earth, she saw more and more ugly sides of life as if she needed any more proves that being alive wasn’t really worth it.

“Where’s he?” One of the robbers asked his partner. “What’s taking so long?”

“I’ll go check,” The other nodded at the group of people in the middle of the room. “Keep tabs on them.”

She was there for a reason. Fencio said this assignment was supposed to help her uncover her powers – and Lucifer was supposed to be somewhere around since he was now her chaperone. Somehow, the thought of him being around calmed her down a little, and finally, she was able to think straight again. There were ten hostages, including an elderly couple and a mother with a kid, and for a moment, Kat’s breath hitched.

“I’ll go now,” The man on her left whispered to another guy quietly. “You,” He turned to the old lady. “Distract him, as we’ve discussed.”

“What’s going on?” Kat leaned slightly backwards to look at the man next to her.

“I’m going to distract the robber,” He repeated, looking at her with a hint of confusion. “We’ve been here for almost two hours, and no one came to our rescue. We have to save ourselves.”

The girl shook her head. “It’s too dangerous. You might get hurt.”

“Well, I’m willing to take a risk.”

Unconsciously, Kat pushed herself forward, moving her tied hands to grab his. She managed to catch his fingers, and the usual tingling sensation arose at the tips of her fingers. She had no idea if that was her assignment, if she was supposed to either stop or push him into action, but something inside of her knew that playing a hero was a bad idea.

“No, you should stay where you are,” She said softly, staring in his brown eyes.

“Hey! You two!” A sudden yelp made all of them shudder.

Kat looked up to see a rifle pointed at her.

“Shut up,” The man in mask spat out, staring her dead in the eye.

She lowered her gaze, spotting the movement next to her. Before she could’ve done anything, the man next to her pushed himself up and grabbed the end of the rifle, pointing it up as he pushed the masked man further away from the others.

Almost in slow motion, she watched the struggle, unable to move, her entire body paralyzed with an awful feeling that something horrible was about to happen. If that was Fencio’s genius plan to uncover her hidden powers, it failed. She couldn’t do anything, with her hands tied, she barely managed to get up, unsure of what to do.

If only she had a few moments to compel the criminal… 

“Hey!”

Her loud, vibrating voice made the two men stop the fight for a second that she needed to grab the masked man’s arm.

“Let everyone go,” Her shaking fingers started tingling again as she looked into the man’s eyes. “Let everyone go and turn in,” She continued. “Let them go, now, let…”

She never managed to finish. She heard a gunshot, and a moment later her body arched in pain as the bullet went through her spine, crushing bones and ripping her insides apart.

Dying was painful.

It was painful the first time, and it was excruciating now. She fell on her knees, almost blinded by the pain, unable to fight the gravity. Her eardrums filled with buzzing cutting out any other sounds but the sound of blood rushing through her head. She tried keeping her eyes open, but it was too hard to fight this sudden impuissance, and she gave in. The last thing she saw was the masked man that she compelled pointing his rifle at his accomplice.

Maybe, this was how she was supposed to die? Maybe, _this_ was the reason she was given the wings – to save these people?

Her eyes fell shut, and her body went numb, she couldn’t even feel the pain anymore. She felt like she was floating, so light, almost weightless, so careless and free…

“Stupid Unclaimed,” A familiar voice reached her consciousness, pulling Kat out of the daze. She moaned in pain trying to open her eyes, and a hot, soft hand pressed to her forehead almost soothingly.

“Easy there,” The same soft, concerned voice continued.

Finally, she managed to crack her eyes open, and her head filled with pain from the bright sunlight immediately.

“The lights,” She whispered, and someone immediately closed the heavy curtains. Kat tried to prop herself up on her elbows and winced in pain.

“You’ll be fine,” Another voice chimed in, and she finally focused her gaze on the space around her.

She was in the hospital room – or so it seemed, with a few more beds and huge windows. An angelic nurse was standing on her right, a look of concern on her face.

“Take this,” The woman handed her a vial, and Kat threw back the potion without noticing the taste.

Lucifer was sitting in a chair next to her bed, his face drained of color. Geralt, Misselina, and Fencio were standing at the foot of the bed, their faces varied from concern to irritation to whatever it was written in the demon’s eyes. Kat frowned and pushed herself up as the pain was slowly leaving her body.

“What happened?” She barely recognized her own voice, so raspy and broken.

“That is exactly what I would like to know,” Fencio spat out. “You were supposed to complete your assignment and get back here, not to get shot.”

She stared at the angel in disbelief, her blood boiling in her veins.

“Oh, really?” She hissed. “I wouldn’t know since you never told me what exactly my assignment was,” Her body was still aching, but she didn’t even notice. “You sent me there with zero instructions, Lucifer never said a word. How was I supposed to know what to do?”

“You didn’t tell her?” Geralt turned to Fencio while Misselina moved closer to Kat and tried to put her hand on the girl’s shoulder.

The redhead shook her hand off and stared at the woman with a mix of hate and disgust.

“Don’t touch me, don’t act like you care,” She spat out. “All of you are just a bunch of fucking hypocrites, and I feel sick just looking at you.”

She hated this place, hated these people, hated everything about her new life. When that guy shot her, she felt relief, she wasn’t sad that she was dying – she felt relieved, like finally, this nightmare was over. And she hated that they’ve brought her back here, to this hell. She looked in their faces and saw only lies and manipulations, and secrets. And she was done with that.

She was done with the Academy, with angels and demons, with their stupid rules – she was done with this world.

“She needs rest,” The nurse interrupted. “Everyone, leave, you’ll have plenty of time to talk later.”

Kat’s eyes darted to Lucifer who got to his feet reluctantly. Apparently, he brought her there, and she hated him for that – she really _wanted_ to hate him. He left her alone, he wasn’t there to help her, he just let her deal with those thugs on her own…

Misselina, Fencio, and Lucifer left the room with the nurse, only Geralt stayed where he was as if glued to the spot. Tiredly, Kat leaned back against the pillows.

“You make a crappy statue,” She broke the silence finally. “Why are you still here? I need to rest,” She added in a higher voice, miming the nurse.

Geralt only raised an eyebrow and finally moved, taking the chair next to the bed. For a moment too long, he studied the girl’s face before speaking.

“How’s your wound?”

Kat shrugged. “Could’ve been worse, I suppose.”

“If you were a mortal, you’d be dead now.”

“Well, unfortunately, I’m not,” She snapped. “If that’s all…”

Suddenly, he leaned forward and grabbed her shoulders roughly, his fingers digging painfully into the girl’s skin. His icy-blue eyes burned into her emerald-green, and his stare made the little hairs on her arms stand on end. Usually, it took her a lot of effort to feel other’s energy – but not now, not with him. Geralt’s energy was almost palpable, it was emanating from him, sinking under her skin, and taking over her mind.

She knew that the higher hierarchy angels and demons could affect others, but she never felt it on herself. Her body didn’t belong to her anymore, and neither did her mind - as if she was just a puppet.

“You will behave,” He said lowly, his voice vibrating in the back of his throat with anger. “Is that clear?”

Kat nodded weekly, and he finally released her shoulders and relaxed back in the chair. Only then she could breathe freely again, and immediately, her body filled with anger. Now, she sat up throwing her legs off the bed and only then realizing she was wearing a hospital pajama.

“I thought you needed rest?” Geralt’s lips curled into a grin, and that was enough to send her over the edge.

Without thinking, she pushed herself forward until her hands grabbed his stupid robe and her face was just inches away from his. He made her feel powerless, just like she felt her entire life, and this was the boundary he shouldn’t have overstepped. Barely realizing what she was doing, the redhead stared into the demon’s eyes hatefully.

“If you ever pull that trick on me again, I’ll destroy you,” She hissed into his face. “Is that clear?”

She threw his own word back at him, barely holding herself back from wrapping her fingers around his neck. She felt so much anger, it was blazing inside of her, burning down anything good that was still there. They’ve pushed her too hard this time, their little game went too far and there was no way back anymore.

They wanted her to take a side and she just did – she chose herself, and she’ll be damn if she loses. Barely registering Geralt’s reaction, Kat moved even closer to whisper in the space between them, her green eyes now almost black with rage.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” She said in a taut voice, her fists still holding his robe. “Now, I’ll show you and everyone else in this fucking school what it feels like - to be completely powerless.”


	8. If I could change the currents of our lives.

“Unclaimed!” Adi and Sammy tumbled into the hospital room tripping over each other. “Oh.”

Adi’s eyes fixed on Kat’s fingers that were still clenching Geralt’s robe, and the girl opened her fist leaning back against the pillows.

“We didn’t mean to interrupt,” The angel said softly. “We just heard about what happened and wanted to check on you,” His grey eyes were smiling when his gaze met Kat’s. “We’ll drop by later.”

“What?” Adi gawked at his boyfriend. “Why?”

Kat barely held back a chuckle when Sam nudged the demon, and Adi hissed in pain. “What was that for?”

Geralt rolled his eyes and got up abruptly, smoothing out his robe. “We’ll finish this conversation later.”

When he left, both Adi and Sam flopped on the bed on both sides of the girl. These two were the only reason she was still able to tolerate this place, even though she hated the fact they had to hide their relationship. Some of the students knew about them but mostly, they had to pretend they were just friends, and it was so unfair…

Kat had to shake it off: she promised them that she’ll figure out the way to help them and she was determined to do exactly that, even if it’ll be the last thing she’ll ever do. The girl wrapped her arms around two guys and rested her head on Adi’s shoulder.

“So,” She said slowly. “I take it, everyone knows about what happened?”

The angel and demon shared glances, and Adi nodded.

“Yeah, someone’s heard Lucifer and Misselina yelling at Fencio, and your name popped up when they’ve mentioned you ended up in a hospital.”

“What happened?” Sammy asked carefully.

The redhead took a deep breath. They were here only friends in the entire world, these two boys. They’ve lived hundreds of years but sometimes, they were so naïve and vulnerable, and she wanted to protect them from the world that was against them… She sighed and told them about what happened, and the more she spoke the darker her friends’ faces went.

“So,” Adi drawled. “Crowley assigned Lucifer to help you with uncovering your powers, and Fencio decided you needed a chaperone for your assignment but never let him be there with you?”

“Something like that.”

“And none of them told you what your assignment was?” Sammy’s brows furrowed.

“I assume Lucifer wasn’t allowed to,” Kat rolled her eyes when she realized she was defending Satan’s son.

Adi jumped off the bed and started pacing, deep thought on his face. Sam watched his boyfriend for a few seconds before turning to the redhead girl who looked like she was ready to pass out any moment now. With a soft sigh, he pulled her into an embrace, resting her head on his chest, and started stroking her hair gently.

“You should get some rest,” He said quietly. “After what you’ve been through, you need sleep.”

Kat knew he was right, all this time she was barely keeping her eyes open. After her outburst with Geralt, she felt completely exhausted, but she didn’t have time to rest. The longer she waited, the more time Fencio had to come up with a convincible explanation as to why he felt the need to put her in danger like that.

“I should go talk to Fencio,” She shook her head slightly.

“No,” Adi suddenly stopped pacing and sat on the bed next to her. “The more I think about it, the less this entire situation seems like an accident or his oversight.”

“What?” Kat exchanged puzzled looks with Sammy. “What are you saying?”

The demon leaned forward so he could whisper: “I think he did that on purpose. Not to help you uncover your powers or whatever crap he told Misselina and the others, but to endanger you, get you hurt.”

“But I’m immortal,” The redhead reminded. “They couldn’t kill me.”

Sammy frowned suddenly, sitting up straight on the bed.

“Not when you’re down there in a mortal body,” He said tensely. “That’s why choosing a side is so important for the Unclaimed and it happens early on your journey. Until then, every time you go down there is potentially dangerous for you.”

“I don’t get it…” Kat frowned trying to remember all the times she went to Earth and did something reckless. “No one ever bothered explaining this to me?”

Adi’s green eyes went wide. “This is the first thing Fencio and Misselina explain to the Unclaimed.”

She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment: she couldn’t be sure they never told her this since she never listened to the angel woman’s blubber and mostly tuned out Fencio whenever possible. She was so repulsive towards this new world, was it possible that she just skipped this information?

“Kat?” Sammy gently shook her shoulders. “Are you okay?”

“No,” She snapped her eyes open. “I don’t understand it. Okay, when I go back to Earth I’m just like any other human, right? I can get injured and die while I’m there?”

“Unless you manage to get back here before that,” The angel said.

“Doesn’t have to be the academy,” Adi added. “Any place in Heaven or Hell will do.”

Something didn’t add up. She pushed herself up and climbed out of the bed and looked around searching for her clothes. Her wings were flopping behind her back, and suddenly, she realized what exactly wasn’t right.

“That first time I went to Earth,” She said slowly giving up her search. “I went back home, and Dino caught me there.”

Both guys nodded, and she continued: “And after that, the Vortex took me to Cliff of Moher.”

“The what now?” Adi’s voice snapped Kat out of her weird state, and the girl shook her head.

“It’s this place in Ireland… It’s not important now. Geralt found me and…” She stopped herself.

Somehow, talking about that time the demon tried to cheer her up felt wrong, as if that moment only belonged to the two of them, and no one else. The girl’s face went hot, and she turned to the curtained windows to hide her blushing cheeks.

“I… well, I went for a flight.”

“And?” Adi asked impatiently. “What happened?”

Kat turned to the boys again.

“That’s what happened. I was on assignment, and I remember that mortal body I was in. But when the Vortex took me to the cliff, I was back in my own body.”

“How’s that possible?” A concerned line cut through Sam’s forehead. “That’s the whole point: when you die, you lose your body. Back on Earth, your body is buried deep under the ground, you should have no access to it.”

All three of them went quiet watching the dust as it was floating in a slim ray of sunshine that broke through the small gap in the curtains. None of them knew what to do with this new piece of information.

“I should talk to Lucifer,” Kat broke the silence finally. “He brought me back here from the assignment, it means… He saved me,” She almost rolled her eyes. “I guess I owe him a thank you, at least. And maybe, he knows something about Fencio or this stupid assignment, or something else.”

She looked down. “Once I find my clothes.”

“I’ll bring you something,” Adi volunteered. “And I promised to update Mimi on your current state,” He added with a smirk, and Kat frowned.

“Tell her I’m gonna talk to her later.”

The demon gave her a knowing look and left the hospital wing, leaving her and Sammy alone. The redhead sighed and lay down on the bed again, staring at the ceiling. Mimi’s little crush started to get annoying, especially since Austie never missed a chance to bring it up whenever the demoness saw them together. Kat couldn’t care less about Austie’s opinions, but it hurt Mimi, and she hated being the reason for that.

“What is it, Kat?” Sammy asked softly. “You can tell me anything, you know that.”

“I don’t know myself,” She offered him a crooked smile that never touched her eyes. “It’s just… This is the only life you and Adi know but to me…”

She couldn’t bring herself to say that. She couldn’t tell Sam that this was hell. She couldn’t tell him that every moment here she’s been dreaming of this torture to end. She couldn’t tell him that lying on the cold tiled floors in that bank, she felt at peace. She wasn’t scared, she wasn’t sad – she felt she was dying, and it brought her peace.

She couldn’t tell this to anyone, and it’s been slowly driving her crazy, this constant thought of unattainability of death.

She knew it wasn’t normal, she was probably going insane, but she just couldn’t stop it. She couldn’t stop thinking about death, couldn’t stop loathing her new life, and she hated herself for that. This was her chance to do something good, she promised Sammy and Adi to fight for them, and that should’ve been her focus, not her own pathetic, miserable afterlife.

“What am I like?” The girl shook her head and stared deeply into the angel’s eyes. “Are you and Adi okay? Mimi mentioned you’ve been fighting recently.”

His calm gray eyes went suddenly intense, but he managed to just shrug. “It’s nothing, really. Demons,” He added with a playful nudge on the girl’s shoulder.

Kat looked at him and nodded slowly, letting the conversation shift. She didn’t believe the angel even for a second, but she wasn’t going to push him to talk if she didn’t feel like. A few minutes later, Adi returned with a pile of clothes in his hands.

“Here,” He dumped the clothes onto the bed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well?” Kat raised an eyebrow, and Sammy chuckled. “Turn away.”

“We’ll just leave you to it,” The angel squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “Find us when you talk to him.”

When the boys left, she changed into a pair of black jeans and a silk cami, also black, and threw a glance towards the closed doors where the nurse disappeared. She was probably supposed to let her know she was leaving but she couldn’t get bothered with the formalities and just left.

_If I was the prince of hell, where I’d be?_

Her stiletto heels were clicking loudly as she walked down the corridor and up the stairs to the dormitory wing hoping that the demon would be in his chambers. She found the corner door with his name on it and knocked.

“Go away,” Lucifer’s muffled groan sounded more tired than angry, and Kat’s set jaw relaxed a little.

She knocked again, more demanding, and the door flew open almost hitting her.

“Unclaimed,” He looked down at the girl, crossing his arm over his chest. “What do you want?”

She pushed herself past the demon and stepped into the room. It was twice the size of her room, with heavy dark-brown and burgundy red furniture, and had this weirdly cozy feeling to it that the redhead never expected.

Kat stopped in the middle of the room, looking around.

“I never said you can come in,” Lucifer voice snapped her back into reality.

“I’ve invited myself,” She spun around on her heels. “Your manners are horrible.”

A small part of her felt weirdly satisfied with the dumbfounded look at the demon’s face.

“What do you want?” He repeated his question and closed the door.

He pointed towards the large velvet couch next to the large bookcase, and Kat sat down obediently, thinking over her next words. She had so much to ask but she couldn’t be too direct, she couldn’t let Lucifer know about her suspicions towards Fencio.

She watched the demon as he took the chair across the heavy coffee table from her and locked his fingers. His red eyes were looking at her studyingly now, and his entire demeanor was different from his usual smug manner.

“I wanted to thank you, first,” The girl said quietly. “You brought me back here… saved my life.”

Lucifer stared back at her and shrugged: “Don’t mention.”

His voice sounded indifferent, but she noticed a strange spark in his eyes when he looked back at her.

“Is that all?” He wondered. “Next time just send me flowers or whatever you mortals do.”

She stared at him in surprise, and the demon rolled his eyes, but the corners of his lips turned upwards involuntarily when she laughed. It was weird, being in his room, laughing at his half-ass joke. It felt almost _normal_. As if _she_ was normal.

“What was my assignment?” She asked directly, looking straight into the man’s eyes.

Lucifer looked back at her and got up. Without a word, he went to the bookshelves and fished out one of the volumes.

“I told Fencio the note got lost,” He said in a suddenly flat tone of voice and handed the piece of paper to her. “After what had happened, I thought, you might want to see this.”

“You thought?” Kat asked him, caught by surprise. “Since when do you care?”

“I don’t,” The demon scoffed. “Just take the note and get the hell out of here, I don’t have time to deal with your problems.”

The redhead looked down at the handwriting. She expected anything but not those three words written neatly.

_Do not intervene._

Kat kept staring at the note until her eyes went teary and her vision got blurred. Only then she looked at Lucifer who was still towering above her, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Do not intervene?” She repeated. “I don’t understand. He never told me what my assignment was – and now, you’re telling me you didn’t know either? What does it mean?”

Lucifer’s heavy stare pinned the girl to her place when he lowered his face to her.

“It means you got yourself in trouble, Unclaimed.”


	9. I am not confined to steady ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to everyone who's following this story, your support, comments, and likes mean the absolute world ♥️

Kat stared at the demon, troubles on her brow. She slouched back on the couch trying to digest what she just heard and crossed one leg over another, fiddling with the piece of paper in her fingers. Those two words seemed to be burned into her brain now, and she couldn’t stop thinking about them.

“What do you mean, ‘got myself in trouble’?” she asked finally, just to break the heavy silence that hung in the air between them.

Lucifer lowered on the couch next to her and stretched his legs over the coffee table and turned slightly to look at the girl. His eyes were now a deeper shade of red, and Kat wondered internally if the color of his eyes depended on his mood like her own.

“Exactly what I just said,” he responded irritably. “Don’t pretend you don’t understand. Unclaimed, running around the school, telling anyone who’d listen that she doesn’t want to choose a side, causing troubles constantly… It was just a matter of time until someone got fed up with you.”

He said that as a matter of fact, not a single emotion on that sculptured face of his, and the redhead threw her head back in frustration, closing her eyes for a moment. She had no problem believing that she didn’t have many fans at the Academy, but her own teacher trying to get her killed? That did sound like a bit of a stretch.

She repeated that thought out loud, and Satan’s son sniggered. “You’d be surprised to know how little it takes for some immortals to write you into their bad books.”

Kat studied him for a long moment, thinking his words over. She knew she never tried to hide that she wasn’t happy there, that she wouldn’t mind dying if that meant she’ll be left alone – and she knew now that it was a possibility. Her mind started racing at the thought that she could just jump in the Vortex and go back to Earth, jump off the Empire State, and just end this… but it wasn’t what she wanted anymore.

The realization dawned on her like an ocean wave almost knocking her down. She couldn’t see it behind her emotions and doubts, but she wanted to live. She had too much to live for to just give up, she had Sam and Adi, she promised to find a way for them to be together and she couldn’t break her promise, not before she’d done everything in her powers and more.

Her eyes wandered from the bookshelves to the tips of her shoes, trying to put her thoughts in order before she spoke again. Lucifer just sat next to her silently, his face unfazed as ever, and she couldn’t help but wonder why he even bothered keeping the note and lying to Fencio in the first place.

“You think I’m in Fencio’s bad books?” she asked finally, and he rolled his eyes.

“Do I need to answer that? You don’t seem dumb enough not to notice that yourself.”

Kat sighed and nodded, ignoring the barely covered insult, surprised that they’ve managed to keep up with a civil conversation for this long.

“So, what do I do about this now? If he tried to get me killed…”

“Do you have any proof?”

“The note…”

Lucifer huffed: “The note means nothing, don’t be naïve. He’ll just say that I was there to keep an eye on you, so nothing would’ve happened.”

“But the note said not to intervene…”

“Oh, please,” he rolled his eyes and grabbed her shoulders, shaking the girl roughly. “Wake up, Unclaimed, this isn’t Earth, the game rules are different here. Good guys don’t always win, and the good guys aren’t always actually good.”

His fingers dug into her skin deeply as the demon stared into Kat’s eyes, and she saw her reflection in his pupils. They froze, taken aback by this sudden closeness, and for the first time, the redhead noticed that the tattoos on his neck created a certain pattern and weren’t as random as she always thought.

“What does this mean?” she asked unexpectedly to even herself pointed at his arms, half-naked as the sleeves of his burgundy-red shirt were rolled up.

He followed her gaze and finally let go of the girl’s shoulders relaxing against the back of the couch, studying her with a flicker of curiosity in his eyes, and it made the redhaired girl feel almost exposed. He slowly traced his forefinger over one of the images on his forearm, captivating her attention, while he spoke softly, his voice turning into smooth silk.

“This,” his finger stopped at the falling angel. “Is a reminder that even Devil used to be an angel once.”

Kat leaned forward, getting closer to the demon, and ran her fingertips unconsciously over his skin. She still didn’t know much about this world, most of Misselina’s lessons have gone in vain since she never bothered to pay attention when the angel woman spoke – and now, she regretted not listening. She wished she knew more, wished she understood this world better because now she realized that this world was hers now, too. She belonged to it just like Lucifer or Mimi, or Sammy, and she had to start treating it like a home, not a trashy motel.

Too consumed in her thoughts, she never noticed how close she got to Lucifer until she felt his warm breath near her face and looked up, meeting the stare of his now bright-red eyes. She felt her cheeks flush red with embarrassment and her breath hitch as he moved even closer and took a hold of her chin with his fingers.

“Your energy is different from other Unclaimed, have you noticed?” he asked almost softly, keeping their eyes locked.

“N-no,” Kat had to clear her throat. “I’m not too good at reading energies yet.”

His eyes sparkled with some kind of strange amusement. “You can’t read energies _and_ you can’t find the source of your power?’

She rolled her eyes, breaking free from his grip.

“Yeah, I’m just a useless Unclaimed, remember? Good for nothing.”

He suddenly grabbed her shoulder again making her look back at him. When she finally met his gaze, the demon said deliberately, keeping their eyes locked: “You will never repeat this blather, ever again.”

She tilted her head to her side, studying him for a moment.

“What do you care?”

He released her from his grip and crossed his arms over his chest, and his face changed immediately. In a snap, he returned to being his usual annoying self, wearing his entitled smugness as his favorite costume.

“It’s time for you to leave,” he drawled through gritted teeth. “I’ve spent too much time on you.”

Kat rolled her eyes, tired of his mood swings. She was ready to leave when suddenly she remembered why she was looking for him that morning.

“Do you know anything about sea dragons?’ she blurted out, catching the demon by surprise.

“And why would you care?” he returned her words, and it took all of her self-control not to snap at him.

“It seems like Fyr wants to hang out with me,” she said after a pause when she was counting to ten, fighting back the urge to tell this insanely annoying creature what exactly he should’ve done with himself. “Someone told me you own a sea dragon, and I thought you might give me an advice or two.”

Lucifer relaxed a little, and his face softened as he spoke.

“I don’t own my dragon, he’s a companion, not a goldfish.”

He slowly got up to his feet and squatted before the bookcase, searching for something. She looked at his back absentmindedly, noticing how his muscles bulged under the stretched fabric of his shirt until he straightened back up and glanced back at her. Her face immediately went red when she realized she’s been caught staring, and she dropped her gaze to the book in his hand, desperate to draw his attention to something else.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a book,” he gave her an unreadable look and shoved a heavy volume into her hands. “You’re lucky I still somehow have it. It’s an encyclopedia of the most common creatures you might encounter in your… afterlife.”

She pressed the book to her chest and looked up. “Thank you. I’ll return it as soon as I’m finished… I guess I should read the entire thing since my afterlife is now… my life.”

With those words, she flounced out of the room before he could’ve found something to respond to her statement with. She wasn’t planning to get emotional around him, but somehow, Lucifer managed to do what no one else could’ve: he made her accept her new life. He’s done nothing but only after her conversation with this obnoxious demon she finally admitted – even to herself – that she wanted to be a part of this world.

Something has changed inside of her, something just broke – or got fixed, and she felt differently. She wasn’t angry anymore, she wasn’t wishing to be anywhere but at that school. She was ready to give this new life a chance…

She bumped into someone so hard, the book just fell out of her hands, hitting the marble floor hard. The girl looked up, and yet again, her face turned a deep shade of red as her eyes met the stare of icy-blue ones.

“Sorry,” she blurted, squatting to pick up the book and the pages that fallen out of it when it hit the floor.

Geralt stood there, watching her as she gathered everything together. She felt a strange mix of embarrassment and annoyance, so she looked up at him through her lashes and cocked an eyebrow: “On Earth, it’s bad manners, not to help someone.”

He stared back at her, and for the first time, she saw him lose the usual distant mask that he was wearing like a second skin. His face cracked with a smile, and his low, velvety laugh filled the empty corridor. She couldn’t remember a one time she heard his laughter, and it caught her by surprise, the way it sounded, the way she just froze, listening to it, spellbound.

Finally, he stopped laughing and bent over to grab her arm and pull the girl up, almost making her drop the book again. The closeness of his firm, taut body, the power and heat emanating from it, his scent – it overwhelmed her, made her heart race thump heavy in her chest and her mind race. In her high heels, she was still shorter than him, and she looked up at the man, feeling herself so small and insignificant, it got her wonder why he even bothered talking to her.

His eyes fell onto the book in her hands, and Geralt arched his eyebrow.

“Why this sudden interest in supernatural creatures?”

She followed his gaze and blushed again, hating this new habit of her body.

“Fyr… I wasn’t sure how to take care of him, and apparently, he’s now… sort of mine?”

The demon gave her a long, studying look: “Are you sure you’re ready to claim a living creature yours?”

The way he said those words sent shivers down the girl’s spine. She knew nothing about him, but she just felt, there was a dark, tragic story behind his darkness, and for the first time since meeting him, she wanted to hear that story. He was a closed book, she couldn’t crack him down: one moment, he was joking, and another he was using his powers to destroy her will, and then he gave her advice… She couldn’t tell which version of him was the real one, and for the first time, she wished the real Geralt was the one who flew into the Irish skies with her, and who cradled her in his arms when she was ready to break.

The pause became too long, and she cleared her throat that suddenly went dry and numb.

“He decided he wanted me to take care of him?” her words sounded too much like a question, and the girl frowned to herself. “Sammy told me that, since I have no idea,” she rolled her eyes. “So, I needed to find the information somewhere.”

“And you turned to books?” it was impossible to tell if he was impressed or disappointed.

Kat bit back the comment about Lucifer and just nodded.

“I could bet Misselina always takes time to give the Unclaimed most of the relevant information on most common creatures that you can meet here or in Hell.”

“I bet she does,” she blurted out before she could stop herself, and Geralt’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “I wasn’t listening,” she admitted. “I know, I’m a horrible student and don’t appreciate the chance to go to this amazing school.”

Again, she couldn’t quite identify the emotion written in his light-blue eyes when he stared at her, listening to her little monologue. His body seemed more relaxed than usual, and the redhead decided to take it as a good sign.

They were still the only two people in the corridor, and she wondered how many people there were in this place. There were always new faces in her classes, but she barely saw anyone during her free time, unless she went outside into the courtyard. Otherwise, the Academy seemed like an endless desolated labyrinth of stairs and corridors.

“And now, the book is ruined,” she added quietly, studying the volume in her hands.

“Not necessary.”

Geralt’s hand lay on the book just next to her as he ran his fingers through the loose pages. “It’s easily fixed.”

He cocked his eyebrow, and she realized that he was offering his help.

“Um, that- that’d be great.”

He just nodded and turned on his heels, his movements abrupt and sharp. He walked towards his classroom, and Kat had nothing else to do but to follow the demon, watching the feathers of his wings flutter as he moved. After all this time, she learned to live with this new body part, but she still couldn’t get used to seeing wings on everyone else around her. Sometimes, she just imagined that it was a Halloween costume party and the theme was Angels and Demons.

She barely held back a chuckle when she imagined Geralt in a sexy French teacher outfit, hoping that he couldn’t read her mind: considering his other powers, she couldn’t just write it off completely.

With a sigh, she caught up with the man and said quietly: “Headmaster Crowley assigned Lucifer as my chaperone.”

“Supervisor,” the demon corrected. “I’m aware of that.”

“Do you think it was the right call?”

They stopped before the doors to his classroom, and Geralt stopped with his hand on the bronze doorknob. “Seraph Crowley knows what he’s doing.”

He opened the door and let Kat in first before closing the door behind them. He pushed a hidden door to the backroom open and took the book from the girl’s hands sitting down at the desk. It was a small, dusty room full of books and some weird mechanisms that the girls couldn’t even imagine the appropriation of.

He leaned over the book and dropped a few drops of slightly shimmering substance into the cover and then carefully put one of the pages into its place, pressing gently.

“I don’t seem to be able to help you,” he noted, not looking at the girl who was sitting at the edge of the desk. “Finding someone else who is powerful enough to push you into finding the core of your powers was a logical decision.”

“Push me?”

Geralt chuckled: “You seem to be responsive only to certain types of pressure.”

He finally looked up from the book and caught her gaze, and Kar remembered vividly how he used his powers to control her back at the hospital wing. He’s never done that to her before, and just knowing what he was capable of was terrifying.

“So… Lucifer has the same kind of power as you?” she asked finally.

“No,” the man shook his head, putting another loose page into its place in the book. “The ability to affect lower-level immortal is common, but it’s not the kind of power I’m talking about.”

He finished fixing her book and pushed it slightly aside, keeping it open on the page about sea dragons.

“Once you finish the Academy and will be out in the real world, you’ll be able to control those who’re less powerful than you. Usually, they’re lower in the hierarchy, but that is not always the case. This and the power of compelling are common for all angels and demons. Each of us also has a special power, the one only he possesses. Surely, there are many similar powers, but each immortal has one.”

“So, why I can’t discover mine?”

“Because you never wanted to,” he said simply. “Your energy was screaming ‘let me out of here’, there wasn’t one chance to get through the wall of estrangement that you’ve built around you.”

“Was?” she asked quietly.

“There isn’t anymore. I assume, something – or someone – has changed your mind.”

His piercing blue eyes burned into her at these words, making her insides flip and turn, and twist under his searing gaze. She wasn’t ready to talk about – and she doubted she ever will be, so she snagged onto his other words.

“So now I’ll be able to uncover my power?”

“I should believe so.”

She grazed her bottom lip between her teeth, trying to gather her thoughts together. Without her anger, she felt insecure and weak, like a little girl, unable to speak her mind as if she was an empty party balloon, lying around without any purpose. She had to snap herself out of it but didn’t know how the only thing she knew was that private lessons Lucifer was a horrible idea.

“Maybe you could… maybe _you_ could help me?”

She finally looked him in the eyes, biting on her lip unconsciously as she waited for his response.

Slowly, he got to his feet, grabbed the book, and walked over the desk until he was standing just before the girl, looking down at her as he passed her the volume. The black feathers of his wings fluttered just inches away from her face, and Kat could feel the movements of the air on her cheeks. He studied her for a long moment before slowly tilting his head to his side.

“I will use my powers on you again,” his voice dropped lower as he spoke. “I will make you feel powerless again. Do you think you can handle it without snapping back and threatening to ruin the entire school?”

She saw the devilish flames in his eyes and felt the urge to match his tone, to defy him… instead, she nodded. “Yes.”

His lips twitched in a contained smile: he could see right through her act but found her endeavor to stay obedient amusing.

“I’ll let you know when it’s time,” he said finally and pointed towards the door with his eyes. “Get some rest, you’ll need it.”

She slid off the table and was already in the doorway when he called for her.

“I wasn’t joking about schoolgirls fetish,” she heard a smirk in his voice. “I’m expecting to see pleated skirts and knee-high socks from now on.”


	10. So this is the way.

“Let’s draw a balance,” Adi stopped pacing and stopped before Kat’s bed where she sat next to Sammy, watching the demon.

They’ve been talking about this for the past few days, and every time the conversation ended the same: they had no idea what to do or how to even start untangling this deadlock.

“Luci thinks Fencio set you up on purpose, which, essentially, means that he wanted to get you killed. And Geralt… again, what did he say?”

Kat’s face flushed red, again, as she remembered the strange encounter that at this point could’ve been considered a norm.

“He said he’ll help me to uncover my powers,” she rolled her eyes slightly. “Though Lucifer still is my official _supervisor._ ”

“I’m sure he finds it delightful,” Adi snorted with barely held laughter.

Sammy sent his boyfriend a disapproving glance and turned to the redhead, studying her face for a very long moment. Kat exchanged glances with the demon but kept quiet, letting the angel ponder in peace.

Adi grabbed the book from the armchair in the corner of the room and nestled into the soft, creamy-beige fabric, flipping through the pages lazily until Sammy finally sighed, got up, and walked nervously to the window. With his back turned to his friends, the angel said quietly:

“I think Lucifer might be right,” his voice sounded strained and almost lifeless as he continued, staring into the fluffy soft pink and golden clouds floating above. “Soon, you’ll learn that angels and demons aren’t equal to good and bad…”

He finally turned to Kat and sent her a sad, almost apologetic look.

“I’ve heard something that I didn’t understand at first, but now, it all falls into places.”

Sammy’s nervousness passed to Kat and Adi who watched the angel closely, afraid to even breathe too loud. He slowly walked back to the bed and kneeled before the girl, taking her hands into his and looking deeply into her widened green eyes.

“I don’t know how to tell you this but… I think you didn’t just jump out of your window. Someone made you to.”

The silence that hung in the air could’ve been cut with a knife. No one knew what to say, and all three of them just froze, trying to process what they just heard. Slowly, the meaning behind Sammy’s words sunk in, and Adi cleared his throat.

“You’re saying, someone pushed her out of that window?”

Finally, Kat managed to shrug off her stupor and focused her eyes on the angel.

“I don’t remember the jump,” she said finally. “But I remember that I was alone just moments before the fall… Is it possible that someone just, I don’t know… teleported… into my apartment? And why would anyone do that?”

“I don’t know,” Sammy shook his head. “It was the day you first got here. I was supposed to report to Fencio, but I got from my assignment earlier and when I got to his classroom, I’ve heard him arguing with someone. I wasn’t going to interrupt them but accidentally, I’ve heard his last words before he stormed out of the room.”

“What did he say, then?”

Adi threw Lucifer’s book on the floor and moved across the room to sit on the bed next to Kat wrapping his arm around the girl’s shoulders comfortingly.

“I don’t remember the exact quote since I never thought it was relevant,” Sammy’s cheeks turned pink, and a thin line crossed his forehead. “She wasn’t supposed to end up _here_ ”, or something along the lines.”

Again, the silence followed. Kat’s heart pounded in her chest as she thought about Sammy’s words. She still couldn’t remember the exact moment she decided to jump, still couldn’t remember _why_ she decided to do it on that exact day…

_“She wouldn’t do it like that, she wouldn’t just jump out of her window in the middle of the day.”_

Suddenly, she remembered Vanya’s, the doorman, words said to her when she visited her old house during her first time on Earth in her afterlife. She didn’t have much time to think about it before but now, the girl just couldn’t stop wondering if he was on to something. Why would she do it in the middle of the day, why would she jump at all, instead of just taking some of her pills?

“Hey, Unclaimed,” Adi squeezed her shoulder. “Are you alright?”

She shook her head slowly.

“I don’t know.”

It seemed like everything was happening too fast. Her death, Heaven and Hell, this ridiculous school, her near-death… And now, this. She felt her head spinning, and flopped on her back, closing her eyes. A moment later, her friends followed her example, and Adi drawled thoughtfully: “We should dig into this.”

“Dig into this?” Sammy raised his eyebrow. “You’ve been spending too much time around humans.”

The demon chuckled but continued.

“I never trusted Fencio. Do you remember the time he caught us under the Thinking Tree?”

“Hard to forget,” Sam frowned. “He almost ripped my wings out.”

“Wait, what?” Kat propped on her elbows. “That’s a thing?”

Sammy nodded.

“It’s a thing. When it’s time for you to choose a side, your current wings will be ripped out and you’ll be given your permanent wings.”

“Unless you don’t take a side and start a war,” Adi smirked and high-fived the girl under Sammy’s stare of heavy disparagement.

“Don’t even joke about it,” the angel said. “Kat’s already got herself into trouble, are you trying to join her in the club?”

Adi only rolled his eyes.

“She’s right though,” he said expressionlessly. “And deep down, you know it.”

The redhead traced her gaze from one guy to another: this was the first time she saw them arguing, and it made her insides freeze. Once, she overheard their fight but now, she was in the middle of it, literally. Her constant rambling about not taking a side and going against the rules was now more than just that. If Lucifer’s conclusions and Sammy’s suspicions were anywhere close to the truth, she was in trouble, and even being around her might’ve been dangerous for the boys.

She sat up straight and crossed her legs, looking down at her friends. She had nothing to lose but her afterlife – and even though she wanted to live, more than ever before, she was willing to sacrifice it for them, for everyone who was suffocating under these stupid rules.

“Sammy’s right,” she looked up at Adi. “If any of this,” she waved her hand aimlessly. “Is true, then anyone who gets close to me might be in danger. So far, we only know that Fencio is dangerous, but we have no idea who he works for.”

“You think, he’s not working alone?” The demon furrowed his brow.

“He was talking to someone when Sammy overheard him,” Kat reminded. “Geralt thinks that Crowley’s decision to make Lucifer supervise me was made strictly in my interests, but what if it wasn’t? Everyone knows him and I aren’t exactly on good terms – so, is it possible that the Headmaster assumed that Lucifer wouldn’t care even if he finds out I was sent to that bank to die?”

“Seraph Crowley?” Sammy’s eyes widened. “No, there’s no way he could’ve been involved.”

Kat exchanged glances with the demon and sighed softly. How long has she been there? A few human years? And these two knew their Headmaster for decades, maybe centuries, how could she break the picture in their heads, especially, Sammy’s?

She never met anyone so pure and innocent as this angel, there was so much love and care in him, so much trust and hope… how could she break his trust into his mentor? How could she take it away from him, she, a practical stranger who just swoop into his and Adi’s life and turned everything upside down?

“I think we don’t know even a half of what’s going on in this school,” Adi moved closer to his boyfriend and pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around the angel protectively. “But I want to figure it all out. For our little Unclaimed and for ourselves, too.”

Kat’s heart warmed up as she watched them together. How could anyone think that anything bad could’ve come off of this relationship? They were like two pieces of a puzzle, completing each other, the shortfalls of one were advantages of another… How could others not see it?

She shook her head, and her hair cascaded down her shoulders in messy waves. Slowly, she got up and walked across the room, where a large, full-length mirror was. The girl studied her reflection for a few moments before turning to the boys, cuddled up in her bed, and too consumed with each other to pay her any attention.

She chuckled to herself and cleared her throat, making them pull apart.

“Hey, lovebirds,” she smirked at the way Sam’s cheeks went bright pink. “Enlighten me. Angels and demons aren’t allowed to have relationships. What about Unclaimed? I’m somewhere in between… or, as Austie bitch would’ve said, at the bottom of the food chain. Does it mean I can date anyone?”

The boys exchanged quick glances, and Adi let out soft laughter.

“You never listen to Misselina, do you?”

Kat rolled her eyes. “Bitch talks too much. Why?”

“Because it’s the first thing Unclaimed learn about this place. Your kind is only allowed to have a relationship with alike.”

“Yeah, so Andy is your destiny,” Adi sniggered.

“Oh, shut up,” Kat rolled her eyes. “What about Mimi? She wasn’t exactly subtle about her interest.”

“She never cared about the rules,” Sammy sighed. “But she never actually had a relationship, so it never mattered much.”

“Plus, she’s been in love with Luci since we were kids,” the demon added. “Sometimes, we go to Earth and she has her share of fun with the mortals, but that doesn’t count.”

“And that’s allowed?” Kat’s eyebrows shot up.

“Of course, it’s not,” Sammy nudged his boyfriend. “And you,” he turned to the redhead. “You should at least take a few books from the library. You’re a part of this world now, whether you like it or not. You can’t live here without knowing our laws, just like on Earth.”

_And I can’t fight these stupid laws without knowing them, either._

A knock on the door made the three of them freeze, falling silent.

“Kat, are you there?”

She let out a sigh of relief and opened the door.

“Andy. What are you doing here?”

The guy looked across the room, spotting Adi and Sam, and the redhead followed his gaze: the boys were sitting on the opposite sides of the bed, nonchalantly, and she frowned to herself – they shouldn’t have to pretend before everyone, they should’ve been able to have the right to show their love…

She shrugged it off and looked at the other Unclaimed.

“Well?”

“Angel Fencio ordered all Unclaimed to gather in his class to announce the final assignment before we can be moved to the next level. Laura is already there.”

“Sure, she is,” Kat huffed under her breath. “Well, let’s go, then.”

“Do you want us to go with you?” Sammy sent her a worried look, and the girl shook her head.

“No, it’s fine, you guys… just be my guests,” she cocked an eyebrow slightly and left the room, closing the door tightly behind herself.

The idea of them having sex in her bed didn’t warm up her heart, but it was the least she could do for them, to give them space where they could be together without the constant fear of getting caught.

She followed Andy downstairs and down the long maze of corridors and pillars until they were finally in the main part of the building. As they walked past the Tree of Life mural, she stopped for a moment, looking at the figures of angels, demons, and humans.

“What is it?” Andy froze next to her.

“Back there,” she pointed somewhere beneath her. “Were you religious?”

The man raised his eyebrows slowly and then shrugged. “My father was a pastor, I never questioned what he told us.”

Kat bit her lip in thought before turning to him.

“Well, my father is a lawyer, and you know what they say about those,” she said slowly. “I questioned _everything_ he told us.”

She finally realized who she was talking to and just shrugged. “Don’t mind me.”

“We should hurry,” Andy tugged at her hand. “Angel Fencio doesn’t like to wait.”

Without a word, she nodded, staring at the guy’s back as they made their way to the classroom. The way Andy was talking about the teacher… She had to stop herself and focus on Fencio who was standing in the middle of the classroom, along with Dino, Austie, and Lucifer.

“The three of you,” he spat out the moment Kat and Andy took their places next to Laura. “Are the last three Unclaimed on the lower level. Today is your first examination. If you succeed, you’ll be transferred to the next level. But if you fail…”

He never finished, only his eyes sparkled viciously.

“The top-performing students will be your examinators for this test. Laura, you’re with Austie.”

The demoness rolled her eyes and grimaced when the other girl stood next to her.

“Andy, you’re with Dino… And you,” he finally turned to Kat. “Headmaster Crowley decided to keep Lucifer as your supervisor, regardless of your planned training with Geralt.”

_Planned?_

“Move it, Unclaimed, I don’t have the entire day,” Lucifer huffed when she slowly walked up to him.

“Your examinators will explain your assignments to you,” Fencio’s face twitched in disgust. “Now, get out of here and try not to embarrass yourselves.”

Kat followed Lucifer, barely catching his steps until they were finally outside the building.

“Well?” she cocked her head. “I hope, _this_ time I’m allowed to know what my assignment is?”

His red eyes flickered with a strange emotion she couldn’t identify, and he said slowly, drawing out his words: “You will have to convince someone to die.”


	11. Tell me this is just a dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, fair warning: this chapter might be a bit too much for some of you, so apologies in advance. It’s nothing too graphic blood and gore but the theme itself might be triggering for some.
> 
> But it’s essential for the plot development so I hope you bear with me ♥️

“What now?”

Kat froze before Lucifer, staring into his piercing red eyes with distrust. She was sure she heard it wrong, or maybe, this was the demon’s idea of a joke, or… whatever it was, it wasn’t what it sounded like. It couldn’t be. The Academy wasn’t in Heaven, but it wasn’t in Hell either. They couldn’t just make her do _this_ …

“You heard me right, Unclaimed,” his voice softened just a tad as he watched the girl’s face fall. “Your assignment is to convince one human to die to protect other people.”

Lucifer grabbed her hand and pulled her up, into the Vortex. The redhead followed him obediently, too stunned to even ask any more questions. They actually _could_ make her do something like that, as it turned out.

As it turned out, Sammy was right: not all angels were good, and not all demons belonged to Hell. And where did it leave her, who was neither?

The Vortex around them started spinning, and the demon grabbed Kat’s shoulder, shaking her roughly back into reality. When her eyes focused on his face, Lucifer spoke slowly, as if talking to a child.

“You will have less than a human minute to convince him, I suggest not to waste time on your human morality of the situation.”

“What… what if I won’t convince him?” her voice broke.

“Then, you’ll fail your exam,” Lucifer shrugged. “I’ll stay with you, but I’m not allowed to do anything to help you – or to make you fail,” he added with a somewhat disappointed sigh.

“Then why you’re even there?” the girl flipped her hair over her shoulder in an arrogant gesture. “You’re not cute enough to be there just for the beauty.”

Lucifer snorted with barely held surprised laughter and looked Kat up and down, grinning. His arrogant, self-assured smirk rose a wave of anger in her body, and the redhead just turned away from the demon not to punch his smug face. The journey was taking too long, way longer than any other time she used the Vortex, and somehow, it seemed like a bad omen.

“Why is it taking so long?” she asked finally.

The demon asserted her with his eyes and tilted his head to the side, studying her with the same curiosity with which a zoologist examines a pterodactyl caught in the butterfly-net. “What? In a rush to get someone dead?”

His words cut her heart painfully, kicking the air out of the girl.

“You’re such an asshole,” she spat. “No wonder the only person who likes you is the queen of bitches.”

Lucifer’s eyes sparkled with some kind of dark amusement, but before he was able to say anything, the white whirlwind of clouds around them finally slowed down, and the Vortex spat them out.

For a moment, bright sunlight blinded Kat, making the girl shut her eyes close for a moment. The same second, her ears filled with noises that she would’ve recognized anytime, even if the centuries passed. She was back home.

After that first time, she never had assignments in New York, she never thought they’d send her back after she broke the rules and went back to visit her old apartment. Confused, she finally snapped her eyes open, squinting in the bright rays of the summer sun. She had no idea how much time had passed since her death, and for the first time, she didn’t feel a pang of pain as she thought about it.

Now, she was only angry and determined to figure out who and why wanted her dead. But before, she had an assignment to execute.

“So?” she finally looked at Lucifer. “Who’s my assignment?”

Wordless, she pointed somewhere behind her back, and Kat turned on her heels slowly, finally realizing that some of the sounds weren’t just the usual city noise. There were screams of panic and fear and the thumping of hundreds of feet.

“You’ve got less than a minute now… look.”

Almost in slow-motion, her eyes fell on the man standing in the middle of a pier. His face was distorted with horror, and on his chest, there was…

“A fucking bomb?!” she yelled, turning back to Lucifer. “Are they for real?!”

“Crowley approved,” Lucifer studied her face with a hint of worry. “He said, this will help you choose a side.”

His eyes darted towards the man who tried to approach people, screaming for help, and they heard distant sounds of sirens approaching.

“They won’t make it,” she whispered brokenly. “They won’t have time to unarm it…”

Barely realizing her own actions, she ran towards the sweaty, red-faced man who kept running circles, begging for someone to help him. The timer on his chest was now at forty-eight second, and the sirens were still too far. Everything was happening too slow and too fast at the same time. She could see two police officers running towards them from across the pier, pushing people aside, screaming to leave the pier immediately…

She looked around to see a ferry full of kids in camp t-shirts stepping onto the decking less than a hundred feet from them…

“Hey,” she rushed to the man and grabbed him by the shoulders, feeling Lucifer’s unseen presence with her back. “Listen to me, listen…”

“Please,” the man’s voice broke and he fell on his knees. “Please, take this off me… please, I swear, I’ve done nothing…”

“Who did this to you?” her fingers trembled as she caught one of the wires between her fingers.

“He… just knocked me out,” the man cried, grabbing on her shoulder. “I haven’t seen his face… only his voice…”

The kids’ voices became louder as the more of them descended from the ferry, and she looked around in a panic, seeing the two policemen as they were only halfway to them. Her eyes fell on the timer: just thirty seconds. The sirens were wailing so close to them, the entire world was now only this man whose hand was clenched painfully on her shoulder and the sirens blare approaching them fast.

“Miss, get away from him!” one of the police officers was mere feet from them, but it was too late.

“The kids!” she yelled back, barely looking at the man.

Her body went into sensory overload. The cacophony of sounds smells and colors crushed onto her, making her body so heavy, she could barely move her fingers. Desperately, she fumbled through the wires not even thinking that just one wrong move could’ve killed her.

“Unclaimed!” Lucifer’s voice sounded so close, as if inside of her head. “Twenty seconds, do it now, they won’t make it on time!”

She looked around like a haunted animal, seeing the several cars pulling over next to them.

“They won’t save him, they will die!” Lucifer grabbed her shoulder. “If you don’t do it now, they will all die, you hear me? You will die, too!”

She finally turned to him and saw panic in his blazing red eyes. She saw people in uniform jumping out of cars and running towards them, and the terrified kids and adults trying to hide inside the ferry… and the eyes of the man in front of her, full of the agony of realization.

“You… I’m so sorry,” she whispered, pressing her hand gently to his cheek, feeling her power tingling painfully at the tips of her fingers. “You have to save them,” her voice broke as the hot acid tears drizzled from her eyes. She swallowed hard and said almost calmly: “Jump into the water and dive as deep as you can.”

Kat leaned closer to the man and pressed her lips to his forehead, in an attempt to calm him down.

“I-I…” his voice trembled. “Give this to Sally, tell her, I love her.”

He took off his wedding ring and pushed it into the girl’s palm, his body suddenly gaining strength that he never had before. Ten seconds… She watched him as he forcefully pushed himself to the edge of the pier and leaped over the fence, without looking back.

The world just stopped around her. The screams, the sirens, the music, and voices, she could hear nothing but the splash of water when the man’s body touched the drumly surface.

Lucifer’s hands clenched on her shoulders, pulling Kat up, but she was frozen to the spot.

“Unclaimed!” he yelled into her ear, dragging her away from the water. “Come on, there’s nothing more to see here, you saved them all.”

She shook her head, suddenly gaining back her strength. “No,” she said, counting seconds down in her head. “I sacrificed someone.”

First, there was a sound. And then, a huge column of water rose, sending shockwaves over the surface, making the ferries and boats rock roughly. She stared at the splashes flying everywhere, and all she could see was blood. The water was infused with sticky, crimson red blood, and her hands were all covered on it, her entire body was dripping with somebody’s blood…

She screamed, desperately, losing control.

The pain overtook her, and her body went limp in Lucifer’s hands. The demon finally managed to pick her up, carrying her in his arms like a small child, and summoned the Vortex, barely noticing anything but the way the Unclaimed shuddered and trembled in his grip.

He brought her to some distant shore, lost in the hills and sharp rocks. The water was almost still, touching the sand gently as if caressing it.

Lucifer lowered the girl onto a fallen tree trunk and sat next to her, looking into the distance. He kept quiet letting her take a grip of herself, and the redhead followed his example, not breaking the silence. She tried calming her thumping heart but just couldn’t, every time she blinked, she saw the man’s terrified face and his jump into the water and the millions of little droplets of blood flying in the air…

A shudder went through her body, and the demon rolled his eyes, finally turning to her.

“If you’re cold, use your power to warm yourself up.”

For a moment, he studied her face and then spoke again, somewhat annoyed. “You’re not a mortal anymore, but you keep forgetting it. You have no respect for your new life, your new abilities… no wonder, Dino hates you.”

“Dino can go fuck himself,” she blurted and clamped her hand over her mouth.

Lucifer shook his head.

“You don’t understand it, Unclaimed. It’s not about how you feel, it’s about your survival here.”

The demon sounded tired, exhausted almost, and for a moment, Kat wondered what his own story was. He was the son of Satan, literally. But who he was, besides that? Who was his mother, what was he like growing up, what was his normal day back home?

She shrugged it off and cocked her head stubbornly.

“I figured that already,” she huffed under her breath. “No one here cares about anyone’s feelings.”

He looked at her, surprised.

“How’s that?”

Kat shrugged. “No one cares if an angel and a demon love each other and suffer being separated. No one cares if they take away somebody’s life with their actions. No one cares about anything unless someone breaks their rules.”

Lucifer grabbed her shoulder roughly and stared in the girl’s eyes angrily. She met his gaze calmly, not trying to push him away or move.

“You’re not special,” he said finally. “I know, back on Earth, you humans are obsessed with your _individuality,_ ” he spat the last word out as if it was poison. “You make sure to come up with pretty names for ugly things, you fight for things you don’t understand, and you’re so _entitled_ to your freedom that you confuse it with impunity. And you die, barely knowing anything about what the world is, and how little each of you means in it.”

“Maybe,” she said quietly, hearing him clearly for the first time. “Maybe, you’re right. And humans don’t deserve what we have… I know, I didn’t,” she added barely audible.

She bit her lip, looking into the grey, expressionless sky. Somehow, it made her calm down, made her forget about what she just witnessed. For a short moment, she could breathe freely again. After a long pause, the girl continued.

“Why… my assignment. Why would they make me do that?”

Lucifer shrugged. “Off the top of my head? Because you talk too much about staying in the middle. Because you constantly get yourself in trouble. Because someone wants you gone. Take your pick.”

“So, you think that Fencio wants me dead, too,” she said it as a statement, and the demon winced.

“I don’t think anything about you, Unclaimed.”

The tone of his voice made the girl snap. “Oh, yes, how could I forget? Lucifer doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself.”

She jumped to her feet angrily, not giving the demon a chance to say anything back. She jumped into the Vortex even before it fully appeared and a moment later it spat her out in the middle of the Main Hall.

Still filled with rage, she pushed herself past the statues to go back to her room when a familiar low voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Not so fast,” Geralt crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s time for your first training session.”


	12. I end this day in a most bitter way.

Kat walked into the now empty classroom and followed the demon into the small dusty backspace that she already was familiar with. Now, the space in the middle of the room was cleared from the lumber and towers of books in preparation for the session.

She watched Geralt as he closed the door behind them, walked to his deck, and stopped just before it, turning to the girl.

“Aren’t you supposed to, I don’t know, try to burn me alive like that Monica bitch?” the redhead raised an eyebrow slightly.

The demon chuckled. “I don’t think it would be necessary.”

His low, slightly raspy voice sounded deceptively calm and soft, and it made the little hairs on the girl’s arms stand on end. She studied his unfazed expression and sighed, capitulating.

“Whatever,” she shook her head, crossing her arms on her chest, wishing for a shower. “I said I’ll do whatever it takes, I guess, I’ve brought this – whatever this is – on myself.”

Geralt raised an eyebrow slightly.

“You remember that I will use my powers on you? Including those that will manipulate your will.”

“Yep.”

“And you won’t snap and threaten to burn this place to the ground?”

“I won’t.”

The demon’s lips curled into a smirk. “Good girl.”

Kat’s eyes widened, and she held back a chuckle. _Alright… daddy._

He waved her to get closer and put two wooden chairs in the middle of the room, taking one and gesturing the girl to sit down in front of him. She straightened her wrinkled, dirty skirt nervously and took the seat, immediately aware of how close that strange man was to her. She could feel the energy emanating from him in big, slow waves that washed over her lazily.

“I’ve heard you’re having a problem reading other’s energy,” Geralt stated calmly. “You should practice more. I’m sure, your friends wouldn’t mind being your training puppets.”

She shot him a glance, and her cheeks flushed red.

“I… never told them that I have an issue. Lucifer is the only one who knows…” the girl frowned. “Motormouth.”

The demon frowned as well. “I spoke to him after your previous assignment.”

“You mean the one that almost got me killed,” Kat couldn’t hold back a snarky huff.

“Yes,” Geralt said sternly. “Apparently, Seraph Crowley told angel Fencio that he appointed Lucifer as your supervisor because you were having trouble finding your source of powers, and Fencio decided to help you with that. Stress situations like that usually good for uncovering your potential.”

“Or getting you shot,” she added, unconsciously playing with the ring on her forefinger, the one that man at the pier gave her.

“That, too,” the demon shook his head irritably, but she wasn’t sure if he was annoyed with her or somebody else.

He went quiet for a moment, and Kat slowly realized that all this time she was able to feel his energy while she could barely sense anything when she was with Lucifer. She winced at the memories of the recent events, and her mind threw a picture of a fountain of blood at her.

The redhead took a deep breath trying to cast away the image and focus on what Geralt was telling her but couldn’t shake off the sticky, sickening feeling of guilt that clung to her, sinking its sharp claws into her heart. The rational part of her knew that it should’ve been done, but she couldn’t forget the man’s eyes full of horror and desperate desire to live…

She never noticed how her breath got heavier and faster, and she snapped out of her trance only when hot, burning tears prickled her eyes.

“What is it?” Geralt grabbed her shoulder.

“N-nothing,” she breathed out, fighting back the urge to cry like a baby. The adrenaline finally left her body, and she was now empty and broken. “Everything’s fine.”

“Unlike you, I have no problem reading energies,” his voice sounded irritated but there was concern on the bottoms of his icy-blue eyes.

She didn’t know what it was, but something in him made her guards fall down, time after time. She remembered the first time they met. She cried like a small child in his arms, feeling the weight of the entire world on her shoulders when she realized that even after death she was doomed to misery.

And now, she let him see her tears again, unable to control herself anymore.

“This is hell,” she whispered brokenly hiding her face in the palms of her hands. “Not where Satan is, _this_ is my hell.”

Through the lump in her throat and the acid tears burning her face and eyes, she told him about the exam, about the way that man looked at her before jumping into the water, towards his death. The words were pouring out of her with barely repressed emotions that were roaring inside of her body, ready to overcome her at any moment.

The demon listened to her, not interrupting, not asking anything, giving her time to let everything out, until there was finally no tears left.

The girl brushed the wet trails off her face with the dirty sleeve of her sweater and finally looked up at Geralt. There was no embarrassment in the way her gaze met his, no regrets that he saw her in that state, just relief and something else that glimmered in those emerald-green eyes of hers.

“So yeah,” she finished calmly. “That’s how my exam went. Fencio should be proud of himself, he not only made me go through hell but also can tell everyone that he’s such a great teacher even someone like me passed the exam.”

She saw a flicker of respect in his eyes as the demon studied her face intently. He didn’t say anything, but Kat could see that he got caught up in his thoughts, debating whether or not to speak up. Finally, he shrugged and said nonchalantly: “That wasn’t a typical assignment for an Unclaimed.”

The girl chuckled darkly.

“No joking.”

He gave her a lingering look. “Surely, you figured that.”

She grazed her bottom lip between her teeth, unsure if she wanted to continue this conversation. After all, Geralt was still one of the teachers, and he seemed to be close with Crowley. Even if the Headmaster himself wasn’t the one behind all of the mess that she got caught in, he must’ve been somewhat informed…

Kat shifted uncomfortably on her seat.

“So, what about our lesson? I still have no idea how to tap into that stupid power of mine, and it’s no fun anymore. I can’t protect myself from even Unclaimed, not to mention angels and demons, unless I just flap them with my wings to death.”

“That’s the spirit,” the demon arched his eyebrow sarcastically. “Have you practiced with Lucifer?”

“I didn’t have much time, between getting shot, chilling in the infirmary, and then talking someone into killing himself,” she snapped at the man defensively.

“Well, you lasted longer than I thought,” Geralt sniggered and added as he saw confusion in Kat’s face. “Your promise not to talk back.”

She rolled her eyes but kept silent: she asked him for a favor, and he was now fulfilling his part of the deal. The girl took a few deep breaths and spread her wings slightly, trying to calm down. her gaze moved from the man before her and traveled across the room, noticing strange little trinkets and artifacts here and there, until her gaze stopped on the amulet hanging on the window frame.

It looked like one of the wind chimes that she saw back on Earth.

“Why do you have it?” she pointed somewhere behind the demon’s back catching him off-guard.

Geralt followed her gaze. When he realized what she was pointing at, his face changed ever so slightly, and she felt the shift in his energy that she already got used to. Suddenly, it felt as if someone drained a bathtub, his energy just shrunk to the point the redhead couldn’t sense it anymore.

It took her by surprise, the way his demeanor changed, and Kat added hurriedly: “But anyway, should we start with the lesson? I’m getting hungry.”

The man shook his head but there was some strange gratitude in his eyes.

“Your power is clearly not physical, otherwise, all those times Monica burned you would’ve wakened it up. Quite often, when a human becomes immortal, their powers are a reflection of the most prominent talent or character feature from their time on Earth.”

He looked at the girl and hurried: “Well? Anything rings a bell?”

“Unless you consider being suicidal a personality trait, nothing I could think of.”

The demon rolled her eyes at her retort but let it slide, again.

“How about the arts? Could you paint? Write? Dance?”

“Like everyone else,” she shrugged. “I’m nothing special… at least, I wasn’t when I was alive.”

She remembered her conversation with Lucifer, and a strange pang of guilt pricked her heart: she snapped at him for nothing. Just because he reminded her she wasn’t anything uncommon - at least, to him. She was just one of the Unclaimed, nothing else.

Her face flushed at that thought, and she tried to calm down remembering that all her emotions could be easily read through her energy…

“Lucifer said my energy feels different from other Unclaimed,” she said slowly. “Is that so?”

Geralt nodded.

“Can’t you feel it yourself?”

“Again, I’m not that good at reading energies,” she reminded, trying not to get annoyed. “Actually, you’re the only one whose energy I can sense without even trying.”

Her words hung in the quietness of the room.

“Is that so?” he asked lowly, and it sent a thrill of electricity up the girl’s spine. Something in the way he tipped towards her felt both dangerous and enthralling, and she found herself almost mirroring his movements.

Kat nodded. “Can it be because you’ve used your powers on me at that time?”

“Well, let’s find out.”

Immediately, a strong wave washed over her, freezing her to the chair. It felt as if her body just shrunk under his fierce, intense gaze. He wasn’t the one to talk much – his eyes spoke for him. This strange thought just filled the entire space of her mind when the demon moved even closer, leaving mere inches between them.

“What do you feel?”

Usually, she felt nothing at all – or anger, at best. She bit her tongue and focused on the way _his_ energy felt.

“You’re… not angry?” she noted in surprise.

He cocked his eyebrow. “More specific, please.”

“I can’t,” she breathed out a few moments later. “Not anger, not happiness, that’s all I can say. What does it matter?”

“Immortals can feel each other from far away if had enough training. And some of them can use their ability to read your state of emotions against you. To protect yourself, you should learn how to control your energy – and to do so, you should first learn to read it.”

His quiet, calm voice soothed her irritation, and the girl nodded. Geralt was the only person at school who actually wanted to teach her to protect herself, no one else ever even told her that she might need that skill… Or maybe, she just wasn’t listening to anyone else. Kat’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, and the demon sent her a curious look.

“Put your hands on my shoulders and close your eyes,” he instructed. “Now, focus on the way my energy feels. Imagine its color, scent, anything that might help you to recognize it in the future. You should be able to recognize it even if there’s a large crowd around you.”

She did as he told, and her fingers clenched on his robe that she once imagined being a superhero’s cape. He most definitely wasn’t a hero. He was an antihero that ends up saving everyone without any gratitude from them, without any need for it…

She shook her head, casting away ridiculous thoughts that were buzzing in her head, and focused on the sensations of Geralt’s energy. It was strong and steady and controlled. He let her feel only as much as he wanted her to feel. She squeezed her eyes even more, and the flashes of dusty blue and grey flickered before her closed eyelids. That was the color of his energy, somehow, she just knew it.

All her senses sharpened, and she could swear she started smelling ozone in the air, and the scent of the stormy ocean and the lightning…

She never noticed how she shifted in her seat bringing herself closer to the demon until she felt his suddenly ragged breathing on the skin of her cheeks and slowly opened her glazed eyes. She felt it for just a second, the way his energy tried to escape from under his control, and how he never allowed it to happen.

Her fingers were still clenched on his shoulder, and she felt how his body went tense under her touch. His eyes burned into her, now dark and stormy, like November sky, and his energy became colder, rougher, as if in an attempt to scare her off. Instead of backing down, she tightened her grip and swallowed hard through a sudden lump in her throat.

“Does _my_ energy feel somewhat the same?” she asked quietly. “Yours feel like stormy ocean… what does my feel like to you?”

Lucifer told her many times he found it entertaining to read her energy, but she never asked him what exactly he felt. But now, in this dusty little room, she felt safe enough to finally admit that she _did_ care.

“It’s stronger than of any Unclaimed I’ve known,” he answered just as quietly, not breaking their eye contact. “Now it's of golden and silver specks, but it will change once you choose a side.”

“What if I don’t?” she knew she shouldn’t have asked him that but couldn’t stop herself. “What if I won’t take a side?”

“Then, you’ll never reach your potential,” the demon answered strangely calm. “You’ll be stuck forever in this half-mortal state and will never evolve. You’re not the first Unclaimed who didn’t want to take one side, and Shepha ensured that your kind had no choice in the end. Unless you want to live half a life for eternity.”

Kat slowly unclenched her fingers and pulled away, resting her back against the chair. It turned out the actual Creator wasn’t that much different from the one that people gave prayers to back on Earth. Just like that God, he couldn’t care less about what his creations wanted, following his own agenda, and forcing everyone into submission.

“Nothing new,” the girl said to herself. “So, what do you think? Would I make a good demon?”

Geralt’s eyes pierced through her skin. “I assumed you were more drawn to the other side.”

They both went silent. The skies behind the window turned navy blue and were now bestrewed with bright stars that created constellations Kat never saw before, and for a moment, she just lost herself in their warm glow.

“You should go back to your room now,” Geralt broke the silence finally, pushing his chair back as he got up. “You’ve done… not too bad. Practice some more before the next lesson. I’m tired of Andy’s smug face whenever he does better than other Unclaimed.”

Kat arched her eyebrow. “You want to see _my_ smug face?”

Geralt only rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. The girl let a small irritated huff escape her mouth: just a few minutes ago he let her see under his mask, let her _feel_ him… and now, he closed up again, and for some reason, she hated it.

She hated that he was back in his shell that she couldn’t break through, that he put the distance between them and… She had to physically shake herself into action before her thoughts turned into emotions that he would read immediately in her energy.

“Good night,” Kat blurted out and almost dashed out of the room.

Her heart was pounding out of her chest as she rushed through the stairs and corridors until reached her room and shut the door behind her, crawling down to the floor. She was panting from anger and confusion, and something that she wasn’t ever going to give a name to, something she wasn’t going to let herself feel.


	13. Would you let me lead you even when you're blind?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking such a long break from this story. The madness of these past few weeks really got me, and even though I wasn't going to skip posting cos of my birthday and everything else - here I am, apologizing for not posting 🙈
> 
> Anyways, thank you for following this story, and I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter and I'll try to get back to weekly posting ♥️

Kat stood in line between Andy and Laura, Lucifer, Dino, and Austie stood behind them, and the redhead could feel the heat emanating from Lucifer’s body despite the distance between them. It’s been three days – or whatever it was at the Academy – since the day of her assignment, and they never spoke once after she snapped at him.

The girl huffed under her breath, shrugging off the slightest poke of guilt that she felt at the memory. It wasn’t her fault that he decided to be an arrogant asshole minutes after she convinced someone to give up and die – so why would she feel bad for putting Satan’s son back into his place?

She didn’t have time for all that. Between their lessons, Geralt ordered her to practice reading other’s energies, and the girl spent countless hours trying to study Sammy’s and Adi’s energies as well as she possibly could. At first, it felt like her attempts were to no avail: she could barely feel anything, but she kept trying and trying until finally, she was able to tell the difference between them without the need to touch them.

Both of them became her practice dummies willingly, and the trio spent most of the time in Kat’s room or atop of one of the floating hills where no one could interrupt them. Slowly but surely, those two became an inalienable part of her life, and she couldn’t imagine going a day without spending time with the couple. Kat shook her head and focused on Fencio who was still going on about how much of a disgrace they all were and how he was making them a favor by just allowing them to take the final test.

Lucifer suddenly huffed loudly, attracting everyone’s attention.

“I have no desire to spend the whole day discussing the Unclaimed,” he grimaced. “She,” he nodded towards Kat, and his eyes sparkled viciously. “Coped with the task allowably.”

Everybody in the room looked at the demon with their eyes wide-open, and the man crossed his arms over his chest, clearly annoyed. The redhead tried catching his gaze, but he stared straight before himself, arrogant as ever.

“Are you suggesting allowing her to join the next level?”

“That’s what passing the test implies, isn’t it?”

Fencio stared at Lucifer for a moment too long before he finally nodded. “Very well. Other instructors have to say something about their charges?”

Kat caught up with Satan’s son when he was already at the end of the corridor and grabbed his elbow unceremoniously. He turned to her with a look of surprise written all over his chiseled face that said he wasn’t expecting anyone to show such frivolity towards him.

“What?” the man barked.

“Can we talk?” the redhead regretted her words the same moment they slipped off her tongue.

“Aren’t we now?”

She felt the familiar irritation rising in her body and took a few sharp breaths to calm down. She wanted to talk, not to end up in another pointless row with the demon, so she had to hold on to whatever composure she still had.

Lucifer studied the Unclaimed, his gaze gliding over her set jawline and dangerously sparkling green eyes, and he found himself enjoying the view of her barely controlled anger. Mixed together with the waves of her energy, it kept him entertained until she finally managed to continue, her palms balled into fists on each side of her.

“I read the book you gave me,” the girl blew a strand of hair out of her face when the gust of wind flew through the columns.

“And?”

“And,” her upper lip twitched a little. “It was helpful. Thank you for giving it to me. I wasn’t sure if you’ll be in class today, otherwise, I would’ve brought it.”

“You can keep it,” the demon shrugged. “I know everything written there.”

His offer startled her, but she just nodded, unsure what to say.

“Is that all?” Lucifer broke off the lingering pause.

Grazing her bottom lip between her teeth, Kat finally looked up at him, a furrow in her brow.

“Are you free now? Geralt said I should practice reading energies more, and I’ve been training with Sam and Adi…”

She mentally kicked herself: what kind of blubber that was just now? Since when she gets so shy and uncertain? The redhead flipped her hair over her shoulder, and the feathers of her wings trembled at the movement. With the side of her mind, she thought that she almost got used to having a pair of wings, however ridiculous they looked.

“I wanted to ask you if I could practice with you.”

The tone of her voice, the rapid swift of her energy took the demon by surprise, and he nodded before he could’ve stopped himself. “Fine,” he heard his own voice, calm and almost friendly, and barely recognized it. “Let’s go, then.”

He walked her outside and flew up without a word, hiding behind the clouds in just one flop of his strong, deep-burgundy wings. She had nothing else left but to follow, gliding through the body of air that seemed to still carry traces of Lucifer’s presence.

“I don’t have the entire day, Unclaimed,” Lucifer was waiting for her with an expression of annoyance on his face.

“Where we’re heading?” Kat’s breath hitched a little as she struggled to keep up.

“The Virgins.”

That answer explained nothing, and the redhead just followed him, hoping not to get out of breath before they reach their destination. She barely knew the territory surround the Academy: she was never curious before, and the fact that she got stuck at school she still found many reasons to hate, hadn’t changed that.

They finally dived into the cave, and Lucifer lowered himself onto one of the rocks, giving Kat a second to look around.

“What is this place?” the girl walked slowly to the fountains in the shape of three crying women.

“This is all the miseries of Humanity,” the demon said simply. “They’re crying for all the humans.”

“Are this… tears?” she pointed at the running water, and Lucifer nodded.

“You’re free to taste it.”

Kat shook her head, still unable to stop staring at the crying figures, her heart filled with the memories of her past life, when she was absolutely sure that all her own tears were gone, that she cried so much, she had none left to shed.

Finally, she managed to shake it off and turned on her heels to face Lucifer, who’s been watching her the entire time. He pulled his usual haughty expression back on the moment their eyes met and cocked his head as if challenging her to say something. She didn’t take the bait, still under the impression of what she saw around herself.

“Shall we begin?” she asked quietly, and he just jumped off the rock in response and took a large step towards the girl.

“Show what you got, Unclaimed.”

She took his hands tentatively, suddenly taken aback by the non-hostile atmosphere between them, and closed her eyes, trying to imagine Lucifer’s energy, the way she did with Geralt and the boys. She stood there, trying to imagine the color or scent or something, but it wasn’t working, just like it wasn’t working with Mimi, Andy, Leeloo, and everyone else she tried to feel.

It took her hours to have some progress with her best friends, and even now, she could barely sense the difference: Adi’s reminded her of spiced honey and raspberries, and Sammy’s felt like fresh morning air. But that was about it, she even couldn’t tell if they were angry or happy, if their energy was calm or ready to tear everyone apart.

The minutes were passing, and she still hadn’t said a word, making Lucifer’s frown deepen with each moment. Her own energy was washing over him like ocean waves, strong and determined, but with a hint of desperation and embarrassment – but it seemed that she was unable to break free from the cage she got stuck in.

She reminded him of an old tale about a firebird who didn’t know what it was because it spent the entire life in a cage with vultures who were constantly dabbing at it.

Almost snorting at his own ridiculous thoughts, Lucifer broke free from her grasp.

“Whatever is that you’re doing, it’s not working,” red eyes met green. “You’re stuck.”

“Thank you, _sensei_ ,” she snapped. “I hadn’t noticed.”

Ignoring her retort, the demon continued. “You can’t break through your own energy; it consumes you and doesn’t let you feel anyone else’s.”

Kat barely stopped herself from telling him that there was an exception to this rule but bit her tongue: it didn’t seem right to tell anyone that now she was able to feel Geralt from across the Hall, with her eyes closed. It was still confusing, the way she felt around her teacher, and she avoided thinking about it.

“What do I do, then?” she asked, folding her arms on her chest.

Lucifer stared at the girl for a moment before grabbing her forcefully and pushing out of the cave. She barely understood what he was doing, feeling suddenly weightless in his arms.

“Fall until you feel me,” his eyes burned into her for a second before he suddenly pushed both of them off the rocky cliff.

With his arms wrapped around her waist and pressing her wings firmly to her sides, she was falling backwards, without any clue how close the ground was, not seeing anything but Lucifer’s face inches away from her own.

“Are you insane?” she finally yelled, hearing only the sound of wind in her ears. “We’re going to hit the ground, I told you I tried everything! Let go of me!”

“Try harder then, Unclaimed,” the demon responded almost calmly. “Because if you fall, I’ll fall, too.”

His deep red eyes sparkled, turning crimson, as she let his words sink in. She wiggled in his grip, and he only held her tighter. Her hair was everywhere, creating walls around their faces, not letting neither of them see anything but each other.

Kat’s heart was pounding out of her chest, blood filling her head along with fear. Could they actually die from hitting the ground? She knew immortals were mortal, after all, but was it how it was going to end for both of them?

“Let me go!” she tried to hit his chest but couldn’t free her hand. “You’re gonna get hurt!”

“Damn right, Unclaimed,” he grinned at her. _“You’re going to get me hurt.”_

His words exploded in her mind into million pieces, and an electric charge went through her body filling her with emotions that weren’t her own. She felt excitement, and resentment, and the need to prove something, and so much power she never even thought was possible to possess. A hot wave crushed over her, a wave that smelt like firepit smoke and heavy herbs, and something else, something almost familiar that she couldn’t identify at the moment but was now imprinted in her memory.

“I… I feel you,” she wasn’t sure if she cried or whispered, but the demon heard her somehow.

“I know,” his eyes were fixed on her for a moment, and then he swept them in the air, and a second later, his back hit the ground so hard it cracked under the impact.

He let go of her a split of a moment before he collapsed onto the ground, so her fall wasn’t as painful, cushioned by his body. She rolled over the demon, her wings trembling from the suddenly removed pressure, her breath caught in her throat, and vision blurred.

Lucifer groaned, and she immediately pushed herself into action.

“Son of a… Satan!” she almost slapped his suffering face, crawling closer. “Have your dad dropped you head down one time too many as a child?”

Kat’s hands shook when she brushed a strand of hair out of Lucifer’s face, trying to access the damage. His long, dark-red feathers were floating all around them, and she could see cuts all over the naked parts of his arms.

Carefully, the girl placed his head onto her knees, ignoring his scowl.

“Shut the fuck up already,” her voice trembled with anger and worry. “What the hell were you thinking about?!”

Instead of an answer, the demon pointed towards his lips, now pressed together, and she almost growled in frustration.

“How funny,” she snorted viciously. “Don’t tempt me to finish what the ground failed at.”

He looked at her with a strange mix of amusement and confusion, and for the first time since the fall, Kat realized that she was still able to feel his energy, now calmer but still somewhat rattled, as if there were thoughts running through his mind that he didn’t want to think about.

Wincing, Lucifer finally managed to sit up, still in pain but not willing to show it anymore. The girl sighed: there was no point in asking him if he needed help or trying to convince him to visit inflammatory.

“How did you know?” she asked him instead. “That whatever you just did was going to work?”

“Call it a hunch,” the man shrugged. “An angel like yourself wouldn’t bear thought of making someone hurt, be it a worthless mortal or a son of a… Satan,” he chuckled, repeating her own words, and grabbed at his stomach: he was still in pain.

Dozens of thoughts rushed through her mind, but instead of voicing any of them, Kat suddenly pushed herself onto her knees and leaned in to whisper into the demon’s ear, her voice dangerously low.

“I’m no angel, dollface.”


	14. Trying to stop from running but you can't wait.

“Concentrate on your partner,” Geralt was walking between the students, hissing like a displeased cat. “And not on what you want to do to them, Laura,” he added, and the Unclaimed flushed red, dropping her gaze from Andy who stood in front of her.

Kat stared back at her partner, an Unclaimed named Donny, whose arrogant grin has been annoying her for the past fifteen minutes, exactly since the moment Geralt coupled them up. The guy seemed to be even a bigger prick than Andy, and it was messing up with her ability to concentrate on the task at hand.

She caught her teacher’s gaze and gave him a short nod: she was able to feel her partner’s energy, not as good as Geralt’s or Lucifer’s, but it was enough for her to stop worry that she was never going to learn how to do that.

“Why aren’t we practicing with the immortals?” Monica asked in her usual bitchy manner, and the redhead turned her eyes away just not to look at her. After all those times she almost burned her alive, Kat could barely stand the other Unclaimed.

Geralt narrowed his eyes, and the girl seemingly shrunk in size. “Because I want you to be able to feel the difference,” he responded finally. “Everyone: Unclaimed, angels, and demons, have different kinds of energy, and being able to recognize the side of your opponent before you see them means having an upper-hand.”

“You say it like you’re preparing us for war,” Laura frowned.

“Better safe than sorry,” the demon barked in response. “Okay, five-minute break and we’ll continue with the rest of the class.”

He moved past her, and Kat almost stumbled back at the impact of his energy. She felt him all the way across the training grounds, but now, it nearly knocked her off her feet. Hesitantly, she looked at his fast receding figure and followed him back into the building. She almost bumped into the man, too distracted with her thoughts to realize that his energy was getting stronger with each step she took.

“On Earth, stalking people is a crime,” the demon’s eyebrow arched slightly as his lips curled into a smirk. “You should know.”

She held herself back from rolling her eyes.

“I was just walking by,” Kat blubbered before she could’ve stopped herself, and the man’s eyes sparkled in amusement.

“Is that so?”

His voice dropped just a little lower, no one would’ve noticed – except her. She became an expert in the tones of his voice, and his habit of asking questions with an arch of his eyebrow, and his… She had to forcefully stop her train of thoughts before it took her too far. The girl shook her hair and finally met the stare of his icy-blue eyes.

“Can I speak with you for a moment?”

Geralt’s eyebrows shot straight up. “That’s new.”

“What are you talking about?” the girl crossed her arms over her chest, getting closer to losing her patience, and he chuckled.

With a motion telling her to follow him, the man crossed the empty corridor and led her back outside, and she found them in a small, secluded yard, drowning in blossoming trees that she’s never seen before.

Kat looked around and took a deep breath to fill her lungs with the scent of large pink flowers but couldn’t smell anything.

“This isn’t Earth,” Geralt said simply after watching her for a few moments. “These blossoms can smell just as much as those artificial Christmas trees mortals put up for the Holidays.”

She studied his calm, thoughtful face for a second too long, trying to understand what exactly in him seemed so familiar, as if _– as if she’d known him from a long time before._

“Have you spent a lot of time on Earth?” she asked quietly, forgetting why she came looking for him in the first place.

“More than enough,” the demon responded, moving towards the trees to pick one of the flowers. “More than you’ve lived there.”

He gently ripped the flower off the tree, and a new one grew immediately to replace it. She watched him fiddle with the pink bud for a few moments before it faded and turned into dust in his fingers.

“Have you ever wanted… to stay there?”

She didn’t know where that question came from - as if someone just moved her lips against her will, and Kat almost clamped her hand over her mouth, staring at the man before her. His eyes turned dark for a moment, but he shrugged it off and looked down, noticing the way her energy shifted, as if trying to get away from him.

He sighed and took a breath to calm down. He didn’t want her to be scared of him, even when she crossed the line yet again, he wanted her to be able to trust him. “Why do you ask?”

The girl shrugged, slowly relaxing.

“Momentarily lapse.”

He gave her a contemplating look but nodded.

“What did you want to talk about that couldn’t wait until the end of class?”

Kat took a deep breath, her face flushing red at just the thought of what she was going to say. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment, buying herself a few moments before she had to say the words out loud.

“I feel your energy too strong.”

Her voice got caught in her throat, and Kat had to clench her hands into fists to distract herself from the feeling of embarrassment spreading through her body.

“I don’t know why, but I can feel it even if you’re across the courtyard from me, not on purpose, and I can’t shut it down even when I try.”

She went quiet, staring at the tree behind his back. What was she even thinking about? Who says things like that? She replayed her own words in her head, mentally kicking herself off the cliff as many times as it takes to learn to keep her mouth shut.

A light gust of breeze picked up and glided through the pink petals, making them tremble, and the girl kept her eyes on them, not willing to admit how mortified she felt after her confession.

“Shepha,” Geralt whispered, studying the her face, and Kat finally made herself meet his gaze, a stubborn glimmer in her eyes. “How long?”

This question took her by surprise. There was no mockery in his voice, no awkwardness, there were barely any emotions at all. Somehow, it felt even worse. In an arrogant gesture, she flipped her hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms defensively.

“I don’t keep a calendar,” the redhead spat out. “You know, it doesn’t matter, just tell me how to turn it off.”

Her voice lacked the usual anger, it sounded almost scared, and he couldn’t ignore it, couldn’t ignore how much she’d changed since when she only became a student at the Academy. When he first met her, she was scared and sad, but it turned into barely controlled anger and rejection to live in the new world almost immediately.  
Until one day, something snapped inside of her, and she started _trying_ to live her life, fighting her way through every single day.

“Go back to your class,” the man said finally. “Now isn’t the right time for this conversation. We’ll talk later, during your training.”

She huffed and left without a word, happy for a way out. There was a fire in the pit of her stomach that she couldn’t put out, and it was the only thing she could think of as her legs walked her back towards the training grounds.

Everyone was there already, angels and demons gathered in two groups, standing aside from the Unclaimed, just like usual.

“Unclaimed!” Adi’s cheerful voice loosened the knot in her chest, and Kat approached her friends, wrapping her hands around both men.

Now, next to them, she was basking in their energies, focusing on them and them only to cast away any remnants of the scent of a stormy ocean. Sammy looked deeply into the girl’s eyes, noticing the glimmer of confusion and almost regret. He tightened his grip on Kat’s shoulder while Adi went on and on about the party planned for that night.

“… with us,” he finished and gave the girl a look.

“What?” she had to snap herself out of her trance.

“I said, you’re going with us,” the demon repeated with a roll of his eyes.

“I can’t,” Kat felt both relief and anxiety. “I have training tonight.”

“Well, skip,” Adi waved his hand dismissively. “Or drop by when you’re done wearing out the seats of your pants.”

Both his boyfriend and Kat stared at the demon with a look of confusion written all over their faces.

“What? It’s a saying.”

“No, it’s not,” Sammy shook his head.

“People say it all the time,” Adi tutted.

“I’m people, and I’ve never said this once in my life,” Kat finally gave in and let a laugh escape her mouth.

She and Sammy looked at each other and fell into another fit of giggles, almost missing the moment their teacher appeared behind their backs. She was too distracted to notice him before, but his proximity was almost physically sensible.

“If the three of you are done with this riveting conversation,” he drawled sarcastically before turning to face other students. “Work in groups of three. By this time, you should’ve learned each other’s energies…”

Lucifer snorted viciously, and Geralt sent him a look.

“Lucifer, Dino, and… Kat. Sammy, Adi, and Andy. Laura, Austie, and Monica,” as Geralt assigned the groups, Kat dragged herself away from her friends and stepped closer to Lucifer and Dino.

Both men looked displeased but not surprised: all teachers liked to pair them to showcase some of the exercises, but they hated it nonetheless. She joined them cautiously, her arms crossed over her chest. It’s been about a week since their last row with the angel, and Kat was determined to make it through the class without one.

Dino stared down at her, his face full of disdain, and the redhead felt her blood starting to boil in her veins almost immediately.

“Now,” Geralt’s voice helped her focus to shift away from the angel. “Each of you, I believe, is well familiar with the energies of both of your partners,” Kat could swear his eyes glimmered sarcastically as he glanced towards her group before pulling three blindfolds out of his pocket. “With your eyes closed, you’ll have to find both of your partners among the crowd. In one minute.”

Their teacher pointed towards the center of the training grounds and got closer to them to blindfold the immortals and turned to the redhead, waitingly.

“Do you need a special invitation?” he asked, and she huffed, turning her back to the demon.

His chest brushed lightly against her wings as he moved closer, and the familiar scent of ozone filled her lungs. His long, slender fingers lingered on the skin of her face as Geralt carefully put the blindfold onto the girl’s eyes, making sure she couldn’t see anything.

“Try to relax,” he said quietly before stepping aside and looked around. “What are you all waiting for? Make it harder for them.”

Kat felt someone’s hands pulling her somewhere and tried to focus on the energy around her that kept changing. She felt a soft slap on her ass and almost managed to catch Adi, who rushed away from her, his energy vibrant and annoyingly pleased.

“Fight through distraction, search for your teammates,” Geralt’s voice cut through the hum of voices and the rustle of wings. “All three of you should gather together.”

Dino and Lucifer knew each other for decades, maybe centuries… how was she supposed to equal to that? Kat focused on the memories of Lucifer’s energy, trying to cut off everyone else’s until she managed to tune out everyone else, only Geralt’s stayed in the background.

First, she smelled the scent of herbs and firepit smoke, and then she felt a familiar sensation of infinite power. Her body jerked, pulled by an invisible string towards the demon. As she made her way through the moving crowd, she tried to feel Dino.

His energy seemed viscous and heavy as if the man was carrying half the weight of the world on his shoulders and never knew much happiness. She stumbled into a firm chest.

“Careful,” Lucifer grabbed her hand and took a few steps to meet Dino.

The second the three of them stood next to each other, he ripped the blindfold off, and his teammates followed suit.

“Not too bad,” Geralt noted in his usual boring tone of voice. “Next group…”

Dino stared down at Kat, his lips curled into an unpleasant grin.

“Little Unclaimed decided to finally learn a thing or two?”

“Hit the bricks, Dino,” she hissed back.

“What changed?” he continued, feeding on her reaction. “Finally realized that no one likes losers?”

The girl took a menacing step towards him, her wings spreading slightly behind her back. She was never able to keep her cool when he was up in her face, firing up immediately. There was something about him that made her blood boil and her head fill with barely controlled rage that was ready to spill out of her.

It was nothing like her usual brawls with Lucifer or bickering with Austie – it was something dark, something that took over her and filled her with feelings that could burn her to the ground if once she let herself lose control and submerge to them.

Dino’s energy now was crushing against her, almost knocking her off her feet, and for the first time, she regretted that Lucifer found the way to make her feel other immortals.

“You arrogant, haughty piece of…”

“Everyone, calm down, this second,” Geralt’s voice made both Kat and Dino startle. “You,” he looked at Lucifer. “Finish the lesson. And you two,” his gaze fell heavily at the disputants, stopping at Dino first. “Your father won’t be pleased with this behavior. Report to him, now.”

The angel’s face dropped, and Kat felt his energy almost draining out of the man as he obeyed without saying a word. After that, Geralt’s eyes moved to meet Kat’s, and she swallowed hard at the disappointment in his stare.

“Change into something appropriate for training and meet me at the office.”

Seeing that she was still standing in front of him, the demon raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes, dismissing her. She left the training grounds hastily, too confused with everything. She succeeded with the assignment, but instead of a credit, she got… not punishment, but she disappointed the only teacher who actually gave a damn about her.

She changed into black leggings and a loose t-shirt and pulled her curls up in a high ponytail and rushed downstairs.

Geralt’s eyes studied her outfit for a moment. He nodded, satisfied, and before she could’ve said anything, a Vortex appeared in the middle of the classroom.

“Where are we going?” Kat asked, and her skin crawled at the change in the air around them.

Geralt gave her a grin before pushing the girl into the whirlwind: “To Hell.”


	15. These scars are just a trace.

Kat stumbled into one of the charcoal-grey marble columns as the Vortex spat her out in the middle of the Mail Hall of Hell’s department of the Academy. She almost lost her footing, and her wings spread instinctively helping her keep her balance, and the girl heard a soft chuckle from behind her back.

“What?” she frowned, turning to face the teacher. “What’s so funny?”

The demon stood just a step away from her, his lips curled into a tiny smirk. Instead of an answer, he pointed towards the massive staircase.

“What are we doing here?” she fell into step next to him as they marched up the stairs.

“Hell’s department of the Academy is better equipped for our upcoming session,” Geralt’s response only elicited a small shiver that ran down Kat’s spine but never made anything less confusing.

They walked past the library, and Kat couldn’t help but stop and stare at the endless bookshelves that seemed to be calling her name. Unconsciously, she took a step closer, and Geralt tutted irritably.

“We’ll get to that part as well,” he snapped his fingers impatiently. “But first, we’re going to find out what’s going on with your powers.”

Kat followed him further up the stairs, her skin already burning hot from the air around them. As if noticed her flushed face, Geralt rolled his eyes. “Did you forget you’re not a human? You don’t need an AC to keep your body temperature comfortable.”

Now, her face flushed with embarrassment, and the redhead hurried to shift her teacher’s attention back on the task at hand.

“It’s been weeks now,” she said as they walked down a narrow corridor lit by a handful of torches mounted into the walls. “Nothing seems to work. I might just don’t have any powers. Or maybe, I have some ridiculous ability to see the future in my dreams.”

Geralt chuckled.

“I’m not sure your friend would agree with the epithet of choice.”

“But my point is,” she followed the demon into the big, empty hall. “I might not have any _active_ powers.”

“A likely story,” Geralt rolled his eyes and stopped in the middle of the brightly lit room.

For a moment, Kat tried to find the source of light, but all she could see was her own reflection in the mirrored walls and ceiling. She frowned and blew a few loose strands out of her face, suddenly self-conscious of the way she looked. With most of the demons dressed like participants of a leather night at Snctm and angels dressed for an afternoon tea with the Queen, she’s almost forgotten about normal clothes.

And somehow, 'normal' didn’t seem _normal_ anymore.

“Are you done admiring?” Geralt’s sarcastic voice snapped the girl out of her thoughts, making her painfully aware of his stare.

Catching his piercing gaze, she cocked her head.

“Are you?”

Her eyes widened as she realized _what_ she just said, and her body flushed. He stared at her for so long, she could swear it’s been years before the demon let his lips curl into a smirk. Slowly, he stepped towards her, and the power of his energy almost knocked the girl off her feet, swirling all around her, wrapping Kat up into a suffocating embrace.

He could feel the energy rush inside of her, and his eyes glistened with some dark satisfaction.

“I am, now,” his low voice vibrated in the back of his throat, making little hair on the girl’s arms stand on end.

Geralt crossed his arms over his chest, and his energy flooded back, like an ocean wave, leaving a strange feeling of emptiness in its wake.

“You’ve done decently during the class,” he said suddenly, the change of topic bringing relief to both of them.

“Thanks?” Kat furrowed her eyebrow. “But?”

“No but,” the demon narrowed his eyes slightly. “Lucifer’s done a good job.”

His icy-blue eyes burned into her, making her lower her gaze as if she was scared that he might read her mind and find out how exactly Satan’s son managed to break through her block.

“He’s got questionable methods.”

“Is that so?”

She looked up at her teacher to realize that they were still barely two steps apart, and her heart went faster at the discovery. Her hands balled into fists at her own ridiculousness, and Kat shook her hair irritably, trying to shrug off the strange feeling.

“Yes. No teaching credentials for him.”

Geralt chuckled in a strange amusement, and the redhead’s shoulders relaxed slightly as she pointed vaguely at the space around them.

“So, how is this supposed to help me with my problems?” she managed to keep her voice calm. “Not that I’m complaining, but it’s rather distractive, to feel your energy _this_ much.”

She needed help. Even if everything inside of her fluttered with embarrassment as she said those words, there was no other way. She felt him even before that time in the little back room of his class, but after the training, it became too much, too confusing. Feeling him _that strong,_ it made her mind wander to places she didn’t want to visit. 

Sometimes, she managed to distract herself for a moment, but the closer he got, the less control she had, and it started driving her mad.

Today, she only managed to find Lucifer because his energy was imprinted into her brain during his little ‘lesson’, along with fear for him and a rush of adrenaline that stroke through her at that moment. And after finding him, it was easier to focus on Dino. But if she had to find Mimi or even Adi and Sammy… Kat wasn’t sure she would’ve succeeded.

“Stay here,” Geralt started walking backwards. “And tell me when the energy becomes hard to read.”

He kept walking, but she stayed silent until the man’s back hit the wall.

“I don’t feel it as strong but…” she didn’t finish. “Why is this happening?”

Instead of an answer, he waved his hand for her to move towards the opposite wall, and she obeyed, merely noticing a strange glimmer of his eyes. She reached the opposite wall and pressed her back against its mirrored surface. Her eyes fell shut as she tried to read Geralt’s energy now that there was so much space between them that she could only see the contours of his figure.

“I can still feel your presence,” she said finally with her eyes still closed.

“What about now?”

She felt a shift in his energy as if there was suddenly a wall between them.

“It’s strange,” the girl said slowly. “As if we’re playing hide-and-seek, and I know where you’re hiding.”

Her eyes snapped open at the sudden gust of hot air that blew over her as Geralt crossed the space between them with a forceful flap of his wings, stopping barely an inch away from her. Without warning, his fingers dug into her shoulders, and she felt the familiar feeling of loss of control. He was in her head, just like that time at the infirmary, only now she didn’t feel the need to fight him, and just allowed his power to hold her mind in place, just like his hands held her body.

His invading gaze burned into her, and she felt him flipping through her memories as if they were pages of an old photo album. She feared he might start with the most recent, but Geralt focused on her childhood, bringing up the memories of when she was about five years old and went to the Aquarium for the first time. She watched the movie along with the man barely feeling anything, those memories so distant they didn’t feel like they belonged to her.

The demon stopped abruptly, almost ripping himself out of her mind, and Kat swayed losing her footing. He grabbed her shoulders tighter, steading the girl, and her hand flew up to rest on his arm.

He kept staring into her eyes, his energy soft and soothing. She felt her body relax, and then he repeated the invasion, now tearing through her most recent memories of Adi and Sammy in her room, sitting so close to each other their shoulders touched. It was just from the day before, and her entire body stretched into an arrow as she pushed him away physically, trying to protect her friends’ secret.

Her energy made the man stumble backwards, and his eyes snapped at her in surprise.

Kat stared back at him surprised that her impulsive momentum actually worked. “You okay?”

She stepped closer to the man, worry on her brow.

“You kicked me out of your head,” he said in half-surprise half-concern.

“I wasn’t trying,” a thin line cracked through her forehead. “I-I panicked.”

He rolled his eyes but nodded.

“You… you knew I would?” she guessed.

“You care about others more than about yourself,” he said simply. “Doesn’t take much to figure that out.”

Her mind threw at her a memory of Lucifer pushing them both off the cliff, and it took all the willpower she had left no to let her voice tremble when she spoke.

“But how… what just happened?” she made a helpless gesture. “Why did you stop?”

Geralt gave her a strange look of his darkened eyes.

“Because you made me stop.”

She could almost touch the silence that fell onto the room as his words hung between them heavily. How could she make him stop if all she was capable of was to influence mortals? She couldn’t even resist when her friends jokingly used their powers on her – how was it possible that she managed to kick Geralt out of her head without even trying? Kat bit on her lip in disbelief, noticing that the light wasn’t as blinding as before, and walked slowly towards one of the walls and back to where Geralt was standing motionlessly, watching her.

“I just didn’t want you to see that memory,” she said helplessly, her voice unusually uncertain, almost childlike.

“Because I definitely strike you as someone who would’ve gone ahead and made use of that kind of information,” he stated calmly.

Something in his voice made her look at the demon, catching on the slightest shift in his energy. It was just a glimmer of disappointment, as if even he knew she would act the way she did, but still had the tiniest bit of hope that she wouldn’t – and it made her heart sink inside her chest. He was the only one who believed in her for the longest time, and she failed him.

Without realizing what she was doing, the girl crossed the space between them, stopping only when it was barely a breath between them, the feathers of her large dark-red wings trembling as she leaned even closer to whisper: “I’m sorry.”

Her green eyes met his blue, the air between them filling with the scent of ozone, lightening, and something else, something barely noticeable that she knew belonged to her. The tips of their wings touched creating a cove around them, and for the first time, she was able to sense her own energy. She could almost see the tiny gold and silver specks of it floating in the air around them, could almost touch it with her trembling fingers.

“Is that… _how_?”

Almost hesitantly, Geralt brought his hand up, mirroring her gesture, and pressed his palm against her, entwining their fingers and closing his eyes to feel her energy to the fullest. Little specks turned slowly into a thick veil covering both of them with a warm, sparkling cloud that she could finally feel and see, too.

The warmth of his hand went through her, and she almost saw herself with the man’s eyes, and her fingers squeezed his unconsciously.

“What’s going on?” she could barely hear her own voice through the sound of blush rushing through her head. “How am I…”

The man opened his eyes slowly, but the shine of her energy never disappeared. Without letting go of her hand, he took a step back, keeping her eyes on her.

“Have you seen me using my powers?”

She nodded, suddenly unable to speak.

“Do you remember what I did?’

The girl frowned but nodded again.

“Do it yourself now.”

“What?” Kat’s brows shot up. “What do you mean, do it?”

“Close your eyes and focus on my voice,” Geralt said almost softly, and her eyes fell shut almost automatically. “Now, bring attention to your free hand,” her fingers clung tighter to his hand. “Feel the tingling sensation in your palm, imagine that it’s bursting through your skin. Can you feel it?”

She could feel small thrills of electricity running up and down her spine and her heart thumping in her chest so hard the girl was sure Geralt could hear it, too. The waves of his energy entwined with her, and at that moment it seemed that she was drawing the powers out of the man. She nodded once more, scared that if she speaks, she’ll lose the connection, and the demon stepped slightly closer, now their sides almost touching.

“Outstretch your hand and let the power break free.”

She did as told, her palm already burning, but nothing happened, she just stood there with her eyes shut and her hand turned away from them both.

“I-I can’t,” Kat’s voice cracked when the pain became even stronger as if she was burning from inside. “It hurts.”

“Let it go, girl,” the soft notes of his voice contrasted with his storming energy so much, she snapped her eyes open, meeting the demon’s stare. “Now.”

She barely realized what happened when a ripple of crackling sparks shot from her hand and flew across the room, crashing into the mirrored wall and falling apart like a cheap firecracker. The redhead stared at the mirror and then slowly brought her hand closer to her face, looking at her fingers as if they didn’t belong to her.

“What just happened?” she asked quietly, still unable to drag her gaze off her palm.

“You wanted to find your power – you just had.”

Geralt finally untangled their hands and grabbed her shoulders, making the girl look at him.

“My power?” she couldn’t shake off the strange numbness and a sudden feeling of loss crushed over her body. “I don’t even know what I did.”

“You absorbed my power and used it as your own,” the demon said in the same tone of voice he used during his classes, but it changed the moment he continued with an unreadable expression. “The question is: what other elements you’re capable to absorb and manipulate.”


	16. I left my baby teeth in the drawer.

Kat’s ragged breath got caught in her throat as she fell onto her knees, panting. Geralt’s heavy boots stopped before her eyes, and she looked up at her teacher.

“I don’t remember saying you’re allowed to slack off,” he winced. “Get up.”

She stared at him in disbelief. He’s been torturing her with this training for hours that seemed like years now, her entire body was aching, and her clothes were soaking wet with sweat as she couldn’t seem to even control her body temperature anymore.

“You’re joking,” she breathed out, holding onto her chest. “I can’t move.”

The man bent over and grabbed onto her shoulders, shaking her like a rag doll.

“I said get up.”

Clenching her teeth, she obeyed, feeling every sore muscle, every aching nerve of her exhausted body. With her hand still grasping on her chest, the girl stood before him, her eyes staring daggers. His eyes followed her hand, and a small frown creased his forehead.

“What is it?’ he nodded at her fingers clutching her chest, and Kat huffed in response, removing her hand, and straightening her back.

“Nothing.”

She cocked her head, meeting his gaze stubbornly, ignoring the pain spreading down her ribcage, and the demon sighed in defeat.

“If you’re in pain, we should stop,” he said just a tad softer. “You should’ve just said that.”

Her eyes widened at this sudden change of heart, and she felt her muscles relax, ready to give out, and it took all of her willpower not to collapse onto the floor yet again. Slowly, she took a few deep breaths and shook her head.

“No, let’s continue.”

She could swear she saw a glimmer of pride in her teacher’s eyes as her words rumbled in the sudden silence of the room.

“Are you certain?”

Kat only nodded, taking the stand. After the initial shock of her new-founded power subsided, Geralt made it his goal to find out what else she could do with it, once almost drowning her under the sudden column of water that poured on her from somewhere in the ceiling while she was trying to make it stop. She tried so hard she barely noticed she was suffocating, only realizing it when he stopped the water himself, pressing on one of the hidden buttons in the wall behind them. Coughing and shuddering from the sensation of wet clothes sticking to her body, she focused the remnants of her own energy on warming up her body and missed the moment her teacher sent a ripple of crackling sparks towards her, and she barely managed to dodge, feeling the burning on the tips of her wings.

His face was a mixture of annoyance and impatience, and his energy matched. Kat frowned at the sudden feeling of disappointment slipping into the mixture and made it her goal to do whatever it takes but to make that feeling go away.

And so, she kept trying, again, and again, until finally, she had no powers to even spread out her wings. But stubbornly, she wanted to continue, just the hint of approval making her want to keep going. On shaking legs, she walked closer to the man, stopping just a step away.

“I’m empty,” she admitted, and he nodded. “Can you… I mean, if I can absorb your power, can I do the same with your energy?”

“Let’s find out,” his voice suddenly became lower as he removed the space between them, grabbing both of her hands and placing them onto his shoulders.

After multiple tries and fails, they found out she was only capable take the powers when she was touching him – at least, for now, it was the only way she could access her abilities. And so, he brought them together, allowing his energy to flow freely over both of them as the girl closed her eyes, focusing.

“Relax your mind,” he said quietly, deepening his breath. “Breathe with me.”

She allowed her chest to rise and fall in rhythm with his, feeling the soft waves of his energy washing over her body, the scent of a stormy ocean was now calm and lingering, and soothing, and it filled her lungs completely as she focused on it. This was different from the times he made her draw the powers out of him.

Now, she was allowed to just float along with him, basking in the pleasant coolness of his energy, letting it slowly sink into her, through the tips of her fingers holding onto Geralt’s shoulders and her arms pressed into his chest. Slowly, her body started healing from the pain that this training brought on her. First, she felt the warmth coursing through her body, barely sensible at first but becoming more prominent with each tiny bit of energy that the demon shared with her.

Then, she felt the tension leaving her tired limbs, replaced with returning strength, the feeling so strange, as if she was an air balloon that was finally filled with hot air that made it straighten and… Her train of thoughts stumbled into something, almost knocking the girl out of her bliss. With her eyes still closed, she focused on Geralt’s energy, trying to find out what exactly seemed wrong.

He was still sharing, the streams of his energy were still flowing into her, but now, there was a wall between them that she could look behind. His energy was always controlled, but he never felt the need to put up a barrier before. _Why now?_

Kat slowly opened her eyes, just to find out he was looking at her the entire time, his piercing blue eyes reading her face, following every little change of expression. Tenaciously, she refused to look away, even though now they both were aware that she felt the wall he put up. His stern face was now even more of a mask than usual, and she felt the need to break through it, the way he managed to tear down all her walls and look deep inside of her.

Without hesitation, her hands moved further across his shoulders until her arms wrapped around the man’s neck, and his chest was pressed into her. She embraced him, and the strength of his energy overflowed her.

For a moment, he froze under her touch, almost in a panic, and she tightened her grip, burying her face in his chest, breathing in the scent of leather and stormy ocean, and pine forest. She kept hugging him, despite his scurrying energy, despite how tensed and stiff his body became, despite everything that was telling her she shouldn’t be doing that.

She knew he could feel her just as strong as she felt him, and she stopped controlling her own energy completely, those scrambles of it that she still had were now flowing freely, all her feelings and throughs readable easily in the little specks of it. She barely knew what those feelings even were, but she wanted him to know, wanted to show the demon how much she trusted him… how _completely_ she trusted him.

And slowly, cautiously, his arms wrapped around her, too, and she heard a small sigh escaping Geralt’s lips when the wall fell down.

It took him so much to trust her back, and the girl just stood there, her mind drifting far away from the training room in Hell, not trying to read the man in her arms, only relishing the sensation of his energy as it poured inside her in powerful streams, filling her to the brim. The pain was gone, not even a memory of it left, the noise in her head finally dissolved and left, and her body filled with strength.

Slowly, she pulled away, not wanting to take more than she needed, and their eyes met in the quietness of the room.

“It feels different,” she almost whispered. “Your energy… it feels different but also, it doesn’t. Is this how it’s supposed to be?”

The demon had to clear his throat before he was able to speak and took a small step back, putting the safe distance between them as he folded his arms over his chest.

“The last time I’ve heard of this type of power was centuries ago,” Geralt noted, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. “And even then, it was considered too rare for there to be any need to study it.”

“Does it mean that I’m weird?” the girl asked, and his eyes snapped to catch her gaze.

“No,” he said firmly. “It means that you’re unique.”

His words echoed through her head as she repeated them inwardly. _Unique. Who would’ve thought?_ She chuckled to herself, and the man frowned.

“Don’t underestimate yourself,” his lips thinned into a line. “Not in this world.”

She could swear there was something behind his words that wasn’t just a simple encouragement. There was a warning, and some kind of regret, and something else that she wasn’t able to identify, some poisonous bitterness that he hurried to hide as he turned away from her to fiddle with the switches behind one of the mirrors.

Kat stood there, waiting for him to continue, but the demon seemed to be done with the conversation. Frowning, she moved closer and leaned her back against the wall, wrapping her arms around herself as if she was still cold.

“Are we going to continue the training? I feel fine now, I can keep going.”

He quirked an eyebrow, and she mentally repeated her own words feeling the need to kick herself. After studying her flushed face for a moment too long, Geralt shook his head.

“That’s enough for your first time,” his eyes sparkled darkly, and she felt a sudden rush of adrenaline as his words sunk in. “We’ll continue tomorrow.”

She was going to start arguing, but the man put his hand up, not letting her to. “No. I’m not allowing you to overstrain yourself. If you feel the need to do something, you can work on your flying skills.”

“What’s wrong with my flying skills?” she pushed herself off the wall, her face turning into a defensive scowl immediately.

The demon chuckled softly. “Oh, I don’t know.”

He flapped his wings helplessly, spinning around himself in a mocking parody of the way she got caught in a whirlwind while flying between the floating rocks a few days ago. That time, one of the rocks almost crushed into her – if not for Sammy, she would’ve ended up in the infirmary. The girl huffed and shrugged, not willing to admit that she was still embarrassed about that accident.

“Maybe you should’ve pursued a stand-up comedian career instead of teaching,” she retorted, turning in her heels to leave.

Geralt’s hand wrapped around her wrist tightly, stopping Kat in her tracks, and she turned back to look at the man who now stood just next to her, his face serious as ever. Her eyes followed down to where his long fingers dug into her skin and fluttered back up as he spoke, his voice low and quiet.

“No one should know about your power,” the way he spoke these words made sent cold chills down the girl’s spine. “Before you’re able to use it and control it. Do you understand why?”

Kat swallowed hard, remembering all the strange, dangerous things that had happened to her since she gained her wings. After she got transferred to the next level, everything seemed to calm down, but the feeling that something horrible was going to happen never disappeared. She kept ignoring it, in peaks and valleys, but it was always there, deep inside her chest.

“Yes,” she responded finally, grazing her bottom lip between her teeth. “I do.”

“Good,” the demon nodded. “Hell’s library should have the books that might be of help, I’ll stay here and try to find them. You… go back, find your friends, and stay with them until I summon you. Understood?”

“For how long?” she blathered, regretting it immediately.

The man’s face twitched in annoyance. “Why? Now the three of you suddenly care the others might find those nightly get-togethers in your room too strange?”

Her cheeks flushed red, but she cocked her head, staring into the man’s eyes defiantly.

“No rules forbid friends from spending time together.”

“Well, make a good use of those rules tonight,” Geralt sniggered at her. “Now, go.”

She rolled her eyes at the dismissal but followed, leaving the room to summon the Vortex, feeling Geralt’s piercing stare on her back physically as she walked away. She reached to the top of her head, loosening up the bun and letting her hair cascade down her back, and looked over her shoulder, feeling a sudden sparkle of electricity when her eye met his for a moment.

He arched an eyebrow, his lips curling into a grin, and she rushed out of the room, her heartbeat suddenly too fast and her mouth too dry.

Annoyed with herself, she jumped into the whirlwind, and a moment later it spat her out in the middle of one of the corridors in the administrative arm of the school. She sighed, glad that she wasn’t at least soaked in sweat anymore, and headed towards the stairs when a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks, making her skin erupt with cold, sticky sweat.

“Good, it’s you,” she slowly turned around, and her eyes fell on Angel Fencio’s face full of revulsion. “Seraph Crowley wants to see you.”


	17. I can't allow myself to go that far.

Startled, she stared at the angel. “Why would he want to see me?”

Fencio snorted in annoyance, grabbing her shoulder roughly and pulling the girl towards the Headmaster’s office, not listening to any objections. Kat managed to writhe herself free from his grasp and followed the teacher, remembering Geralt’s lessons on controlling her energy. She never did well at school, and it seemed to be the case even for the supernatural academy: she was still dragging behind.

First, her inability to feel the others. Then, her strange power that they just discovered, and that the demon wanted to keep a secret for reasons that made her skin crawl with chills. And now, she was trying to take her energy under control but could tell was failing. Just like her emotions, it took ahold of her and wouldn’t let her have the upper hand.

Taking deep breaths, Kat stepped into the seraph’s office, followed by the sound of the door slamming behind her back, and her eyes fell onto Lucifer who sat in one of the chairs, his face the embodiment of boredom. The Headmaster wasn’t there, and she sighed in a momentary relief before taking the other chair.

“Why are you here?” she asked, catching the gaze of his red eyes.

The demon rolled his eyes and shrugged. “Apparently, the same reason as you. Something about this ridiculous supervising thing,” he held her stare for a moment longer and his head moved slightly from side to side as if he was making her a sign not to continue with the topic.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes until the redhead broke the quietness, feeling the mix of annoyance and anger rushing through her body.

“How long are we supposed to wait? Where even is he?”

“Right here,” Crowley’s voice coming from behind her back made Kat tense each of her muscles, still stiff after the training. “Appreciate your patience,” he snickered to himself as he walked towards the desk, and the girl snapped.

“I have none,” her teeth bared when her sparkling eyes met his dull and lifeless stare. “You can’t summon me whenever you feel like.”

“I believe I can,” the man said calmly, evoking even more anger in her with his markedly relaxed tone of voice. “You’re a student at my school, and until you’re no longer, I will summon you whenever I find it necessary.”

She slumped back against the chair, her arms crossed over her chest and her energy speaking louder than she ever could. The girl stopped trying to keep it under control, taking a dark pleasure in knowing that the seraph knew exactly how she felt about him, even though it wasn’t a wise move to set him so much against herself.

Lucifer scoffed from his seat. “If the two of you are done, why am I here?”

Crowley turned to the demon with an unpleasant smile stretching his thin lips, making his face almost caricature-ish. He leaned slightly forward against the desk to bring his face closer to Lucifer’s, burning his eyes into the demon’s as if reading him – and Kat realized that it must have been exactly what the seraph was trying to do.

A pang of fear rippled through her body: if he does it to her, he’ll know everything about what happened in Hell, he’ll see her training with Geralt and… She forced herself to push the thoughts aside, focusing on the frowning Crowley. Lucifer’s face was still unfazed and his energy relaxed as if he knew that he had nothing to hide – or was able to hide anything he wanted.

The thought popped up in her head, bringing a little piece of calmness to the girl: at least, the Headmaster had no access to Lucifer’s memories of whatever she and the demon discussed before. She let out a tiny sigh of relief, unable to explain to herself why she was so sure that the demon was going to protect her secrets. It was a strange sensation tingling on the tips of her fingers and on the back of her neck, and she couldn’t describe what exactly she was feeling – just this sudden sureness that he could be trusted.

“I’ve heard you very finally capable to overcome your barrier and passed Geralt’s test?” Crowley turned his gaze to Kat, and she felt a strange sensation, as if someone was scratching at her mind.

A rush of adrenaline ran through her as the man’s eyes met her, and she knew immediately what he was about to do. He couldn’t read Lucifer – so, he decided to read her, and she was unable to stop him.

_Unless…_

Barely realizing what she was doing, she grabbed Lucifer’s hand under the desk, feeling him tense under her touch. He didn’t withdraw his palm, and she forcefully calmed her breathing, focusing on the demon’s energy, allowing the smell of smoke and herbs to fill up her lungs. She could feel his power running through his vein, stronger than anything she’s felt before, stronger than Geralt’s, and so much different.

His power seemed infinite, he had so much of it, it started pouring into her the second she concentrated, and Kat heard his quiet surprised gasp. She imagined a wall between herself and the seraph, stretching it around herself, locking her mind inside the room he couldn’t get in. She hardly knew what she was doing, hoping that an old meditative technique would work combined with Lucifer’s power, and she felt the tingling inside her head disappear.

It took only a few seconds, but it seemed like forever and ten years passed before Crowley leaned back against his chair, frowning, and looking at her with even more barely concealed concern than before.

“Yes,” she responded to his question, barely remembering how to speak, her hand still clenched on Lucifer’s. “Lucifer helped me.”

The demon huffed under his breath and glanced at the seraph. “Are we done? The Unclaimed is fixed, so I don’t have to be her babysitter anymore.”

Crowley shook his head slightly. “Yes, the two of you can go. As for the supervision… I will let you both know my decision once it’s made.”

With that, he waved his hand dismissively, and Lucifer immediately jumped to his feet, sprinting out of the office, and dragging Kat in tow. Now, it was his palm clutching hers, and his fingers dug painfully into her skin as he continued walking wordlessly, pulling her further from the seraph’s office until they were outside the school building.

Still, in silence, he spread his wings and took off, almost making Kat’s shoulder splay out at the force with which she was pulled into the air before she managed to open her wings, ripping her hand out of his grasp.

“I can fly myself,” she winced in pain, following him higher and higher until they were so far above the clouds that she started to think they finally reached Heaven.

All she could see were thick, milky-white, soft pink and blue clouds, for as far as the eye could catch, and she wasn’t even sure if Lucifer himself knew where he was taking them. Just the moment she considered interrupting the hostile silence between them, he ducked under one of the clouds, disappearing behind its sparkling body, and she followed, mentally preparing herself for one of the kidnapping scenarios that she saw in horror movies back when she was in high school.

Behind the cloud, there was a single floating cliff with a single tree growing from it. Lucifer was already standing on it, staring at the girl viciously as she flew up to the man.

“Fyr?” her gaze dropped onto the sea dragon lying beneath the tree all covered with spheres of light.

Kat landed onto the cliff that rocked slightly under the impact and kneeled beside the dragon, scratching him. Lucifer snorted flopping down next to her.

“Before I ask what the hell just happened, I took you here because he was looking for you,” he nodded at Fyr. “Sea dragons can get sad when separated from you for too long,” he frowned, realizing that he sounded like a textbook. “When was the last time you summoned him?”

“Summoned him?” the redhead slowly traced her hand over Fyr’s scaly neck, and he let out a soft, content grunt, resting his head on her lap.

The demon rolled his eyes so hard Kat could hear it.

“Did you even read the book I gave you or just looked at the pictures and were done?”

She scowled at the demon but said nothing: he was right. She remembered reading that sea dragons got attached to their humans and ignored it, too consumed with everything that’s been going on in her afterlife. Lying angels, demons who kept turning her world upside down, this new power – when was she supposed to find time to think about anything else.

“I’m sorry, boy,” she bent over to kiss Fyr’s cod, wet nose. “I’ll do better.”

Lucifer huffed again, clearly losing his patience, and the girl looked up at him, sighing. There was no way he didn’t feel his powers leaving his body and sinking into her. And there was no way he would let her off the hook before she tells him everything.

With a deep, tired sigh she gave him a short version of what happened during her training with Geralt, avoiding any other things but those about absorbing his power and energy. The demon listened to her closely, the frown on his face deepening with every word she said, until he finally rubbed his temples, staring at the redhead as if he saw her for the first time.

“I knew there was something weird about you,” he said finally, and she felt a bitter bang of hurt piercing through her chest.

“Well, you’ll have to deal with that,” she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest as Fyr moved to rest his head on his paws. “Anyway, it’s a secret so I’d appreciated it if you kept this information to yourself.”

Lucifer’s face flushed red in anger at her last words as he jumped to his feet, the hot wave of his energy almost knocking Kat down. Before she could’ve said anything, the man jumped off the cliff, spreading his wings, and disappeared in the thick clouds beneath the leaving her alone with the sea dragon who opened one eye to watch the dramatic exit.

She shook her head lightly and turned to Fyr. “Well, that wasn’t weird at all.”

The girl lay down next to the dragon, using his side as a pillow, and her eyes caught the glimmering of the light spheres covering the tree. The soft, gentle sparkling made her mind finally slow down as she looked at it, hypnotized. She didn’t have any time to think about what any of this meant for her.

Her thoughts went back to Crowley’s office and his attempt to read her. What did he try to find out? What if next time he’ll try to do that there will be no Lucifer around?

She heard a loud flapping of the wings and straightened up abruptly, waking up Fyr who glanced at her in disapproval and closed his eyes again as Lucifer landed on the cliff next to her, his face red with anger.

“A secret?!” he screamed into her face as Kat stepped closer. “Keep to myself?!”

He spat the words into the tiny space between them as he grubbed her shoulders roughly, his eyes bright-red and sparkling with anger as he shook her so hard, and a thrill of pain ran through her already aching shoulder.

“What the fuck?!” she pressed her hands into the demon’s chest and pushed him away. “What’s gotten into you?”

Lucifer’s eyes narrowed dangerously as his voice dropped to a low, ferocious groan. “Oh, what’s gotten into me?” his words were dripping with sarcasm. “You have the audacity to ask me to keep your secret as if it’s not what I’ve been doing this entire time!” he snapped, circling around the small piece of land, his half-open wings trembling with anger.

She never saw him so mad. Usually, he was annoyed, bored, pissed off – but not this _angry…_ more than angry. There was something about the tone of his voice and about the way his energy got out of control that was just rage.

He stopped before her again, his gaze so heavy Kat felt it pressing her down to the ground, and immediately she remembered the time Geralt did the same. It took every ounce of her willpower to close the space between them and clench her fingers on the man’s side, taking in his power to fight against that very same power… Her head was spinning as she could barely understand what she was doing.

None of what was happening made any sense, she couldn’t even start untangling this Gordian knot.

“Stop it,” she rasped out, almost suffocating under his uncontrollable power. “What’s wrong with you?!”

“You!” he spat out the word filled with so much hatred, she couldn’t believe three simple letters could hold so much.

Lucifer’s hand caught her wrist making her let go of him, his hold so painful, she felt tears spraying out of her eyes and stumbled back, ripping her hand out of his grasp.

“Are you insane?!” she looked at him in disbelief, her hand still feeling the hot touch of his fingers. “I’ve done nothing to you!”

His gaze dropped to her fingers wrapped around the wrist of her other hand, and it seemed to cool down his temper more than anything. The demon frowned deeply, turning away from her, ready to leave, and something pushed Kat to grab his forearm, making him stop.

“Just tell me what the hell did I do,” she walked around him to look into the man’s face. “I only asked because Geralt said this should stay a secret, that if someone here is actually trying to hurt me…”

He didn’t let her finish, shaking his head in disbelief. “I lied for you,” his cold, calm voice was even more terrifying than his outrage, and it took all of the girl’s power not to stumble backwards. “I never uttered a damn word to anyone, about anything. And you…” his face twisted with disgust. “You don’t trust me so much you felt the need to _ask_ me not to put your life in even more danger.”

She stared at him in silence, struck by his words. She never thought he would share anything of what they’ve learned, even if they weren’t friends – or even friendly. Because she didn’t think he cared enough to actually talk about her. And now, as his words sunk in, she couldn’t believe she’s heard them right, that he kept her secrets because he… _did care_ about her?

Slowly, she took a step towards him, and the demon stumbled backwards as if trying to put more distance between them. Barely realizing it, she pushed another step closer, and he stepped back, his jaw set and cheekbone protruding. They kept moving like that on the tiny space until Lucifer’s back pressed into the bark of the tree, and they both snapped of the weird trance.

“I _do_ trust you,” Kat said quietly, her eyes avoiding Lucifer’s as a sudden blush colored her cheeks pink. “Why else would I use my power on you?”

He only shrugged. “Because you were cornered. That’s not trust.”

He shrugged off her hand, stepping aside.

“It doesn’t matter,” he spat the words as if it was poison. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. It would mean I spent time with a damn Unclaimed.”

His words were like a punch in the chest. She didn’t even know why this time his disdain was so painful, but for a moment, she forgot how to breathe, just stood there, gulping for air. Her eyes prickled with tears, and she wiped them away irritably, cocking her head and turning to face the demon.

“Good. Because I don’t want anyone to know I ever spoke to you.”

He stared back at her, the air between them crackling with tension, and she almost felt the need to lower her gaze under the intensity of his. Instead, she pushed her chin even higher, scowling as she continued, “I’d rather everyone thought I was pining over Andy than ever found out I started thinking you weren’t the asshole you pretend to be.”

She swallowed hard through the lump in her throat when he took a tiny step towards her, his energy entangling with her and filling the air with the scent of heady, besotting herbs, fire and smoke.

“Good,” he threw the word back at her. “Because I’d rather spend eternity with bloody angels than be around you for a moment.”

His eyes burned into her, and a thrill of electricity ran down her spine, making the feathers of her wings shiver and her breath stutter.

“Perfect,” she wheezed out as he moved even closer.

“Wonderful,” he agreed, closing the last of the space between them, his body pressing into her as he pushed her against the tree, crashing his lips into hers.

His kiss was filled with hunger, and she moaned into his mouth, parting her lips. His hands dropped onto her waist, taking firm hold of her, and she couldn’t resist the need to be even closer. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pushed her hand into his hair, taking a fistful and pulling on it, evoking a low growl out of the man.

She could feel the heat emanating from him, sinking into her, spreading through her body in hot, burning waves as his hands slid under her shirt, caressing her back, fingers raking up and down, leaving tingling red lines everywhere they touch her sensitive skin.

She was running out of air but couldn’t stop kissing him, feeling his heart as it hammered against her chest, just as loud as her own was thumping inside her ribcage. His tongue ran over her bottom lip, and his kisses moved to her jawline down to her neck, making her body arch into his uncontrollably, sparks filling every part of her.

With another low growl, he pushed her up, and Kat’s back rubbed roughly against the tree as she wrapped her legs around him, barely capable to think of anything but the desire she was drowning in.

Every little nerve in her body sing in tension as she ground against him, and he pressed his hips harder against her, groaning as his mouth captured hers again, this time with more force, as if he’s been wanted this for so long, he now couldn’t stop himself. Her body moving against his as she ground on him unconsciously, the scent of her skin, her energy wrapping him into a hot, powerful embrace, everything about her was intoxicating, filling his ears with white noise, setting his own body ablaze.

He pressed harder against her, and she gasped, digging her nails deep into the skin on the back of his neck, driving him insane, to the point he didn’t think he could stop anymore. Their energies were blending together in the ways he didn’t know were possible as her urgent touches moved from her neck to his chest and down his stomach, untucking his shirt and caressing the hot skin just above the waistband of his pants, almost kicking the breath out of him.

He moved his mouth to trail hot, open-mouth kisses down her neck, biting on the skin of her throat, when she suddenly grasped at his shoulder, making him look up.

A ferrous growl escaped his lips as he refused, and she called out for him, “Lucifer…”

Suddenly, he realized how strong his hands were and how taller he was… his heart stopped as he looked at the girl, pinned to the tree with his changed body.

Almost in panic, he let her back down onto the ground, turning away at the same moment so she couldn’t see his demon face.

“Lucifer,” she called again, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at her, now when she saw him for who he really was. “Lucifer, it’s okay.”

He turned around, baring his teeth at her. “No, it’s not,” his growl made her stumble back, and the demon’s heart stopped at the look in her widened eyes.

Without a word, he pushed himself off the cliff, disappearing in the clouds, leaving her alone, her heart pounding out of her chest, the taste of his lips lingering on her tongue.


	18. I keep trying to hold the world out.

“Are you gonna give me a break or what?!” Kat’s breath got caught in her throat as she finally collapsed onto her knees without noticing the pain in her bruised legs.

Geralt crossed his arms over his chest, towering above the girl, and frowned. They’ve spent the last few hours in the training hall of the Hell’s department of the Academy, and he barely let his student take a breath since the moment she stepped inside the room.

She looked exhausted but kept going, occasionally snapping at him, or charging off his energy, but every time it seemed like she reached her limit, she cocked her head stubbornly and made herself take the position. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, loose strands framing her face, and she was wearing her simple training outfit again, and it made her look so human, even with her dark-burgundy wings.

The redhead studied her teacher for a short moment: he was deep in thought, and she took it as a call to action and flopped flat on her back, stretching her legs and throwing her arms back, so they rested above her head, and closed her eyes. Her body started recovering slowly, and she enjoyed the tingling sensation of healing running over her skin.

It’s been several days since Lucifer learned about her powers, and she hadn’t seen the demon ever since – she didn’t even know if he was at school. Kat frowned to herself, trying to forget about what else happened between her and Satan’s son. She didn’t have time to analyze how their argument turned into a heavy petting session, and even less so she had a desire to admit that all this time she’s spent denying that her feelings for Lucifer weren’t _just_ annoyance.

Her thoughts drifted away from the training hall, back to the floating cliff where he kissed her and then just left alone.

She could still feel the hot touch of his lips, and his firm hands on her sides, and the scent of his skin… and she could still see his flaming red eyes on the dark-grey skin veined with red. It startled her for a second, and she called for the demon, not knowing if whatever was happening was normal – and he just skipped off, flew away like a scared bird. _Just like yourself,_ she reminded herself, thinking off all those times she ran away just not to talk to the demon, and a little line cut through her forehead.

Consumed with her thoughts, she almost forgot about Geralt who was still standing just a step away from her, and almost started when her eyes snapped open, meeting the cold gaze of his blue ones. She swallowed hard, feeling the sudden change in his energy, and rose to her feet, trying to figure out what set her teacher off.

The muscles of his half-naked arms were tense, and she could see a small vein pulsing on the side of his neck, running down to hide under the black leather belts wrapped around his neck. He was still wearing them, even now, when he stood before her in only simple black pants and a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves and undone top buttons, and her mind couldn’t help but wonder.

She ordered herself to cast away those thoughts and took the stance, readying herself for some more hours of exhaustion.

“You’re still unable to channel the power from the elements,” the demon stated, and she let out a small sigh.

“I don’t even know why you think it’s the power I could possess,” Kat fought back an urge to roll her eyes.

“Because,” the man winced. “You’re able to channel mine and change it.”

She sighed again, “Just because I half-did it once…”

He gave her a stern, heavy look, and the girl recoiled, throwing her hands up in defeat. Today, she managed to absorb some of his power without actually touching the man, and it seemed like he was expecting her to continue progressing with every passing round of their training. And she… she had no idea what she’d done that one time and wasn’t even sure it was possible for her to repeat the success.

Kat nodded, her jaw set and eyes fixed on the demon, and Geralt slowly cupped his hands, his palms facing one another, and she saw a little sphere of energy between them. Her body responded with pain at the memories of that energy being thrown at her, and she focused her stare on it, trying to steal the growing sphere from the man before he tosses it at her.

“Breathe,” he reminded, and she gulped some air.

He threw the sparkling ball at the same moment, and she felt a shock of electricity running through her chest as it sent her across the room. She hit her back against the mirrored wall and collapsed on the floor, panting, her hand clenching the burning spot on her chest.

“What the hell was that?!” she barely managed to wheeze out. “Why did you do that?”

She got up, her legs trembling, and moved back into position.

“Did what?” he arched an eyebrow at Kat, and she scoffed.

“You’ve distracted me. On purpose.”

“Just like your enemy, be they in my place,” the demon shrugged, ignoring her blazing stare.

She got so used to feeling his energy, she’s learned not to notice it unless she wanted to – he taught her that when he realized that this strange ability to feel him from across the school’s training grounds was a product of that time when he used his powers on her for the first time and she – if Geralt’s theory was correct – absorbed a part of it unconsciously trying to protect herself.

She bit her lip as she focused on the streams of energy flowing around them, separating his from that running through her – her own was exhausted a long time ago.

Everything seemed the same, only the tiniest part of him felt off, as if there was an unsettling emotion coursing through him that he was suppressing but that was too strong and could affect him against his conscious will. Kat frowned to herself, trying to figure out what it was, and missed another energy sphere that hit her on the shoulder.

“Focus,” his growl was closer than she expected, and Kat realized that she moved closer as she was trying to find the explanation for this oddness in his energy.

She shook her head and nodded, casting away any lingering thoughts and emotion, focusing on the ball of energy in the man’s hands. Maybe, she didn’t need to absorb it?

A thought came to her suddenly as she remembered all those silly shows she used to watch as a child, and Kat’s back straightened. It was probably not even a real thing, but she caught the man’s gaze that had softened just a little, and he threw the sphere at her, expecting it to hit her again. Her hand flew upwards, palm facing the demon as her eyes kept the focus on the crackling energy, approaching her quickly.

It touched her fingertip, burning them, and the girl pushed it back almost physically, her entire body moving forward. She felt it linger against her palm a moment longer – and then, the sparkling ball flew back to the demon, who barely managed to dodge it, jumping aside. The sphere crashed against the mirror, falling apart in small specks of light, while the two of them just stood in front of each other, speechless.

Geralt found his words first, stepping closer to his student, whose fair skin was now paperwhite. Whatever she just did, took the last remnants of her energy, and she was empty, like a beautiful vial. He shook himself into action and grabbed her shoulder, almost dragging Kat outside. He didn’t have much time left before his class, and he couldn’t take her back to the academy – yet, he couldn’t just let her go through the Vortex on her own, not when she was so weak.

They walked through the corridors until finally reached a courtyard of a kind. The air there was even hotter than inside but somehow, it was suddenly easier to breathe, and the girl felt her body starting to heal again as Geralt settled her onto one of the rock, squatting down in front of her.

“That was… impressive,” he couldn’t find another word to describe what she just did. “Here you can restore some of your energy,” he gestured towards the rock she was sitting on that turned out to be a large amethyst crystal. “When you feel better, go back to school. I’ll summon you once I’m done with the class for the high-level student.”

“High level?” she repeated, unable to stop the thoughts running through her head. “Lucifer’s gonna be there?”

Geralt’s eyes sparkled unkindly, and he wrapped his arms over his chest, bouncing back up to his feet. After she told him about what happened in Crowley’s office, the demon seemed to be even less fond of Satan’s son than before, and she couldn’t find the reason for such reaction.

“He can be trusted,” she repeated for the fifth time. “He had his chance to rat me out but never used it.”

Her heart squeezed in her chest painfully at the unsolicited memory of Lucifer’s words about her not trusting him, and Kat added hastily, even though he wasn’t anywhere near to hear, “I believe him. He doesn’t mean me any harm… He’s kept my other secret, too.”

She raised her eyebrows, unable to speak more: even in Hell, she had to watch what she was saying. At least, until she finds out who and why wanted her dead.

“What about the other two?” Geralt scoffed, looking around as if to make sure they were still alone. “Have you told them?”

“No,” she shook her head. “I don’t want to drag them into this.”

The demon stopped pacing and bent over, pressing his palms into a conglomeration of crystals behind Kat’s back that formed some sort of wall, and his face lowered to her, his eyes burned into her. He didn’t utter a word, just looked at her, and a heatwave coursed through the girl’s body, centering in the pit of her stomach. She swallowed through the lump in her throat, tilting forward without realizing it.

His eyelashes fluttered ever so slightly when she breathed out, and her breath ghosted over his skin.

“You can’t protect everyone,” his voice was low and quiet, and he spoke through a sudden rasp caught in his throat.

“I’m not protecting everyone,” she felt a sudden rush of adrenaline in her veins. “Only those I care about.”

Geralt’s piercing gaze buried deeper into her green irises, and she almost backed down under the intensity of his stare. Instead, she cocked her head, straightening her back, and her chest almost pressed against the man’s. She couldn’t tell anymore what exactly she was feeling. The warmth of his body, the strength of his power, the waves of his energy, everything blurred together into one intoxicating cocktail that she was getting drunk off.

Barely realizing what she was doing, she moved her hand to run her fingers over the leather of the belts on his neck, and he froze, his eyes wide. 

“Geralt, I…” Adi’s voice startled the two of them, and the demon straightened immediately, crossing his arms over his chest. “Sorry, I was told you were around…”

“Did you want something?” the older demon raised an eyebrow, and Adi took a little step back, almost recoiling.

“Everyone’s ready for the class.”

“Tell them I’ll join in a few moments,” Geralt pushed himself past the ginger and marched off without looking back, leaving Adi and Kat alone.

She frowned to herself, trying to calm down her racing pulse and thoughts that were running through her head like a flock of scared crows. Adi landed another crystal and reached to put his hand onto the girl’s knee. She looked up, and their eyes met, reflections of one another.

“Before you appeared, I was the only redhead around,” the demon noted with a small smirk playing on his lips. “You stole my thunder.”

Kat chuckled feeling the knot in her chest loosening up, “Sammy’s the only one who gets your thunder, either way, you’ll deal.”

The demon rolled his eyes at his friend, happy he managed to distract her from whatever thoughts were flowing inside of her head, if only for a moment. Carefully, as if not to scare her away, he moved closer, resting his hand on her knee, and used his free hand to take gentle hold of her chin, making the girl look up at him.

“What’s going on?” he asked softly. “I know there is something you’re hiding from me.”

He looked at the spot where Geralt just stood and added quietly, almost whispering, “Are you and Geralt…?”

“Are we what?” Kat’s eyes widened in realization. “What? No!”

Adi let a small sigh of relief to escape his lips.

“Then what is it? All these secret meetings, and the way you’re always whispering about something…”

She felt her heartbeat quicken, “Anyone else noticed?”

The demon shook his head, his heart filling with worry for this unbearable Unclaimed. From the first moment he saw her, a small part of him knew they were going to spend eternity together: him, Sammy, and her. He couldn’t tell where that feeling came from or what to make of it, but he somehow knew that it was important, that this girl was _destined_ to be in their lives.

He moved even closer, his wing pressing into Kat’s, and whispered, “You know you can tell me anything, right? What is it?”

Kat frowned even deeper, grazing her bottom lip between her teeth.

“I know,” she said finally, turning to the demon. “It’s just… very complicated.”

“I’m in love with an angel,” Adi chuckled darkly. “I know complicated. Complicated is my friend.”

Kat winced as if in pain, Geralt’s words repeating in her head. He seemed to be… okay with her telling Adi and Sammy about her powers. Did he trust them that much or just wanted her not to have to carry this burden on her own? She sometimes wondered if any of this was for real – and a part of her was really hoping that all of it was just her a trick of her sick imagination and that in reality she was locked up in a mental ward, roped to a bed, hallucinating.

She trusted Adi, completely. If not for him, she would’ve gone mad, they were the only two people that kept her sane in the whirlwind of craziness that her life had become.

With a deep breath, she put her hand onto his chest and focused on his energy. It was sparkling and fresh and smelt of sour cherries, and it was now so familiar, as if she’s known him forever. Looking in the man’s eyes, Kat slowly pulled his energy to her, letting it pierce through her skin and start filling up her body.

Adi’s eyes widened in surprise as he realized what she was doing, and she stopped immediately, dropping her hand. The demon kept silent for a moment, and the silence that fell on the little inner yard could’ve been sliced with a knife.

“That was,” his eyes suddenly sparkled in amusement. “I’ve never met anyone who could do something like that.”

She let out a relieved sigh escape her mouth: he didn’t run away, and he didn’t seem to be scared.

“You’re okay with it?” she queried.

“You silly Unclaimed,” Adi pulled the girl into an embrace before jumping to his feet. “Shoot. I’m late for Geralt’s class. He’s gonna sling me up.”

“You wish,” the girl rolled her eyes, and he stared back at her for a second before a loud bark of laughter escaped his mouth.

When Adi left, Kat slowly got to her feet. She was completely healed, the energy in her was coursing in big, powerful waves. Today, she managed to actually achieve something, she saw it in her teacher’s eyes – he was proud of her. And somehow, knowing that was what made her proud of herself, too.

The redhead moved back inside turning the corner to summon the Vortex when she stumbled into someone’s firm chest.

She didn’t need to look up, the familiar energy wrapping around her like a hot, smokey blanket. Kat met the man’s eye, her voice calm and her heart pounding out of her chest, “Lucifer.”


	19. I'm drawn to the unknown where shadows hide.

Lucifer’s eyes burned into the Unclaimed as she looked up standing so close he could feel the heat radiating from her. His gaze moved down her body, noticing the same outfit she wore when Crowley summoned them in their office, and it took a lot to keep his face straight when the memories of what happened after that flooded his mind.

“I don’t have time for you,” he pulled himself away from the redhead, wrapping his arms over his chest almost defensively.

She cocked her head, and her eyes sparkled darkly.

“I’m not keeping you,” Kat’s tone of voice was the mirror of his own, and it made his skin flush with frustration.

The girl stepped aside gesturing towards the corridor, “Please.”

Lucifer stared down at the redhead, and she felt the way his energy started breaking from under his control. He snorted viciously under his breath, and a thin line appeared between his eyebrows as he folded his arms on his chest and leaned against the wall. Kat waited for him to speak but the demon remained silent, and the quietness between them became almost unbearable.

In defeat, she sighed, “Aren’t you late for Geralt’s class?”

He only rolled his eyes and growled some kind of noise that was supposed to be his response.

“What are you doing here,” he asked finally, wincing as he spoke.

The girl looked around and shook her head ever so slightly, “Not here.”

Lucifer gave her a long studying look, huffed something under his breath, and then grabbed her hand, pulling the Unclaimed towards the end of the corridor as he summoned the Vortex. He jumped into it, his grasp on Kat’s hand so strong she barely had to move her own feet at all, and a moment later Vortex spat them out in a large, dimly lit room.

The demon’s fingers released her finally, and she looked around, noticing heavy furniture of dark wood and leather, massive columns holding high ceiling, and the flames of fire roaring outside the window. She swallowed hard and turned to the demon who stood there, watching her lazily.

“Is this…”

“Hell?” Lucifer chuckled. “I just call it home.”

Kat’s eyes flickered to glance at him as she tried to figure out what exactly Satan’s son meant. She got used to the Hell’s department of the school, but this place felt differently. It was _Hell_ , in all senses, and she wasn’t able to explain this strange sensation tingling all over her body as if burning hot chills crawled up and down her spine.

She walked towards the window and stared outside, seeing only flames and nothing else. The girl turned back around, something in her face making Lucifer shiver ever so slightly as his shoulders dropped just a little. With an annoyed sigh, he walked to where she was and closed the heavy curtains, drowning the room in darkness.

“That better?”

His voice sounded frustrated and… hurt? Kat frowned, trying to focus her vision on the man who already busied himself lighting up a few candles. When she could finally see the space around herself, he pointed towards the couch, and she lowered herself onto it, almost expecting to get burned.

“Well?” Lucifer flopped onto the armchair just aside, burying his eyes into her. “What’s so secret that you couldn’t tell there?”

The redhead looked around, her teeth grazing her bottom lip nervously, “It’s about my training with Geralt.”

Lucifer rolled his eyes ever so slightly, “That’s not a secret.”

“But what happened today is,” she tipped forward. “I did it. Used Geralt’s power.”

“What?” the demon leaned closer to her, and their knees bumped against each other but neither of them noticed. “How?”

She whispered hastily, trying not to think why exactly she trusted him with this information. She told him how she managed to catch the energy sphere and send it back, told him how their teacher was sure she was capable of absorbing not just immortals’ powers and energies – and the more she spoke, the lighter she felt. As if sharing her secret with the demon somehow lifted a heavy weight off her shoulders, and she was finally capable of breathing freely again.

He listened to her carefully, not missing a word, the frown between his brows becoming deeper and deeper with every word she said until finally, Kat relaxed back against the couch.

“Do you even have an idea of how dangerous this is for you?” Lucifer said in a strained voice. “What is he thinking about using the school’s premises to train you?”

The demon almost jumped to his feet, pacing back and forth, and his nervous energy passed to Kat, tingling on her skin. She watched him for a few moments before she finally waved her hand, catching his attention. Lucifer stopped before her, towering above the girl, and glance down.

“What?”

“Can you stop flickering?” she frowned. “You’re freaking me out.”

“Good,” he spat out, bracing himself forward until his hands pressed into the back of the couch on both sides of the redhead. “You should be scared.”

He pushed himself backwards and left the room without saying a word, leaving Kat alone. Again. This thought floated in her head as she stared at the spot where he just stood. The last time, he got scared – what the hell had happened now?

Her hands balled into fists involuntarily as anger rushed through the girl. Who the hell he thought he was? Her wings trembled in anger as she got up running her hand through her hair as she released it from the bun, letting the messy curls cascade down her shoulders and chest, glowing in the dim candlelight.

She was tired. She was tired of this life she never asked for, tired of the secrets, of the rules that didn’t make any sense, tired of feeling things for people she could never have… Kat almost stumbled into one of the bookshelves as the last thought hit her, and her face twitched as if in pain. Slowly, she moved her hands to press into her temples in a vain attempt to reduce the headache. She’s been doing so good avoiding thinking about it, keeping her mind busy with everything else – and now, she ruined it.

Her chest grew heavy. Everything seemed different now that she finally admitted it to herself. She was an Unclaimed, and they were demons… and he was her teacher. What the hell was wrong with her?

Now, Adi’s question seemed so obvious, she couldn’t believe she herself could’ve been so oblivious this entire… that she’d managed to go for so long without admitting her feelings to herself. Why on earth it had to change now? Now that she had so many other things to worry about that were threatening to make her head explode.

She’s heard a commotion outside the door, and a moment later Lucifer dashed inside holding a large old volume in his hands. He stopped in his tracks seeing her, and his already gloomy face turned into worried.

“What is it?” he demanded looking at her hands squeezing her head.

She couldn’t bring herself to look up and meet the stare of his red eyes, just dropped her hands so they hung on both sides of her body lifelessly and nodded at the book, “Decided to join a book club?”

The demon snorted aggressively and took a large step towards the girl coming to a step when there were just mere inches between their bodies.

“What is it about you demons and ignoring personal space?” she frowned leaning against the shelves behind her, her head finally tilting up.

“Us demons?” he asked, and Kat felt her cheeks flush red.

Stubbornly, she cocked her head even more and wrapped her arms on her chest, creating a barrier between them as the demon continued drilling her with the stare of his penetrating eyes. She nodded at the barely existent space between them and wheezed out through the sudden lump in her throat, “Like now.”

Lucifer huffed under his breath but took a reluctant step forward, still remaining close enough to catch her by the waist when she suddenly got dizzy and the air around her became heavy. The demon cursed as his arm wrapped around the girl, and he pulled her against himself, walking her towards the couch.

She plopped onto it ungracefully, feeling her entire body throb with pain.

“What’s wrong with you?” the demon squatted in front of her, and Kat saw something distantly reminding of concern in his eyes.

“I don’t know,” she swallowed hard, pressing her hand to her chest just over where her heart was beating hastily.

“Your energy,” Lucifer suddenly stumbled backwards losing his balance and landing hard on the floor.

She could feel it too. As if she was a vial that someone has been filling up slowly and now it was almost full and ready to overflow. Kat’s eyes darted to meet Lucifers, and he read fear in the blown pupils that took almost entire space. He’s never seen her scared before, not even during the cruel assignments that Fencio kept throwing her way. He saw pain and anger, and panic – but never this fear that seemed to be something more than a reaction to this strange shift in her energy.

Barely realizing what he was doing, the demon pushed himself up until he stood on his knees and his hands were gripping Kat’s shoulders. He could feel how hot her skin was when the sleeve of her shirt slipped down, the heat of her body could compete with the hellfire itself.

“What’s going on with me?” the plea for an answer in her voice made his insights flip upside down, and Lucifer found himself pulling the girl closer until their noses almost touched. “I feel… too much.”

Her body shuddered in his hands, and her energy crashed against Lucifer almost knocking him down. Her heavy breath ghosted on his cheeks, her closeness was overwhelming. Barely resisting the need to tug her closer, to feel every part of her body, he drew back, his hands still holding her shoulder tightly.

“It’s not your energy,” the thought struck him.

“What?”

Kat made herself focus on the man before her. Just a moment ago it seemed like he was about to kiss her, and a part of her wished for him to do so, even though her entire body was ablaze, and she could barely concentrate through the heavy pounding in her head. And now, he jumped to his feet and was running around the room, picking up some books.

Before she could’ve said anything else, Lucifer grabbed her hand and pulled her up, almost collapsing their bodies against each other.

“I know what’s going on… I just don’t know why,” he summoned Vortex and pushed the girl inside the glimmering whirlwind, and a moment later, it spat them out inside Lucifer’s room at the Academy.

Almost losing her footing, Kat grabbed onto his forearm, and the demon barely held himself back from wrapping his arm around her. He just stood waiting for the girl to regain her balance, focusing on the way her energy was slowly calming down.

With a surprise, the redhead took a deep breath of fresh air, “It’s gone. The feeling that I’m about to explode, it’s gone now.”

She looked at Lucifer, a deep furrow creasing her brow, and crossed her arms over her chest.

“What the hell?”

“Exactly,” the man threw the books onto the bed and flopped down, patting the space next to him.

“Don’t even dream,” Kat’s face twitched in distaste, and Lucifer chuckled darkly.

“Don’t suppose I’ve dreamed the other day.”

She snapped her eyes at him meeting his stare. She didn’t expect him to talk about what happened between them, more so to speak about it first. The redhead narrowed her eyes at Lucifer and took a few steps towards the bed, her arms still crossed over her chest.

“That’s interesting,” she cocked an eyebrow. “I was sure _I’ve_ dreamed all of that.”

Lucifer stared at the girl, his blood pumping through the veins so fast he could almost feel it. She wasn’t angry but she was… disappointed? He shook it off and just grinned, patting the bed again, “Well, come here and find out.”

Slowly, as if approaching a knot of vipers, the Unclaimed lowered herself on the opposite side of the bed, her green eyes dark and heavy on him.

“Are you going to explain what just happened? Why… how did you know I’ll feel better here?”

He sighed in defeat and pushed one of the books towards the center of the bed, flipping through the pages. He felt her moved closer until he could smell the delicate scent of her hair brushing against his shoulder as the girl leaned closer to look at the pages.

“I’ve read about it,” he said, searching the volume. “When I’ve learned about your… abilities,” he frowned. “I figured it could be useful to know more about them.”

“You figured?” she turned to face him, propping her cheek against her palm.

Lucifer rolled his eyes, “Don’t flatter yourself. Research is my secret passion.”

Kat chuckled but nodded, unable to ignore the way her heart jumped to her throat excitedly as the demon’s fingers stopped running through the pages for a moment that he needed to make sure the lie slipped off his tongue effortlessly.

“Read this.”

Her eye fluttered across the page, and her heart stopped. She ran her finger over the text unsure she wanted to continue reading. Geralt was right, she was in grave danger, now more than before.

Satan’s son watched Kat as she kept reading, and it took all of his will not to move closer, not to run his hand over her skin, not to do something he’ll regret later. He snarled to himself, pressing his back against the bedpost, and crossed arms over his chest as if it could protect him from her.

“Having the power to absorb other immortals’ powers isn’t that uncommon as you might think,” the demon frowned.

“Geralt said he’s heard about someone with this ability, but it was long ago,” Kat spoke slowly, her thoughts far away from the room. “He said there were no studies… why hadn’t he told me about this?”

She glanced over to where to book was, and her chest tightened.

“He knew it wasn’t just the ability to absorb powers, from the beginning. He was sure I’m able to do… everything,” she winced as if in pain.

Hating himself for what he was about to say, Lucifer pushed himself closer to the redhead and picked up the book. The old parchment of its pages was so fragile it seemed that it could fall apart under a simple touch, but he just grabbed it sloppily to find one of the paragraphs.

“Geralt’s heard about him,” the demon pointed his finger at the corresponding text. “Drazol, once my father’s right hand.”

Kat leaned closer, her eyes moving hastily as Lucifer continued.

“He was able to copy anyone’s power,” the man continued. “A very dangerous ability that could’ve brought an end to Shepha’s reign.”

“It doesn’t say what happened to him,” Kat noted as she looked up at the demon.

“He’s alive,” Lucifer frowned. “He’s locked in Hell, in a cell that won’t allow him to use his powers. After he rebelled against my father, he put him there but kept him alive… just in case,” Lucifer’s eyes sparkled darkly. “He got lucky, really. He never threatened Heaven, and it saved him life.”

The demon snorted angrily, and Kat caught his eyes, “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” Lucifer’s face twitched in disgust. “That no demon could ever compare in cruelty to Him.”

Behind Lucifer’s words, there was the pain. So much of it, she felt it on her tongue, it tingled on the tips of her fingers, made the feathers of her wings flutter even though there was no wind. There was pain living inside of the man, buried so deep that whatever she felt in his energy at that moment was just the tip of an iceberg of Everest's height.

She felt his longing, his sadness, his abandonment, it was radiating from him. She has forgotten everything else, whatever they were talking about just now didn't matter. Slowly, not to scare him, the girl reached out to touch her hand to the demon’s face, and Lucifer froze under the gentle, caring touch of her long, cold fingers. Kat moved even closer to the man and caught the conflicted, almost desperate look glimmering on the bottoms of his eyes and whispered quietly, her voice barely audible.

“Promise you won’t run away,” she asked, the tip of her thumb circling over Lucifer’s protruding cheekbone.

He nodded, almost hypnotized, and she continued, even quieter than before, “Where’s your mother, Lucifer?”


	20. How did you hide it all for so long?

Lucifer’s face froze at Kat’s question, and the demon recoiled from the soft touch of her fingers. She felt the tension emanating from his body and took a step forward, closing the space that he tried to put between them. Stubbornly, the redhead took his face between her palms and made the man look in her eyes.

“You promised not to run,” she reminded softly, feeling the heat of Lucifer’s skin as her thumbs pressed into his cheekbones. “Tell me.”

His energy calmed down slowly, his body relaxing gradually in her hold. The demon finally threw himself backwards, resting his head on the dark-burgundy silk of the pillows. Kat tugged her legs under herself as she nuzzled deeper into the mattress, ready to listen.

“There’s no story,” he opened his mouth finally. “She’s locked somewhere in Hell.”

He said it casually, as if reporting on the weather, but the deep, burning pain on the bottoms of his eyes spoke differently. The redhead moved closer to him, her two emeralds burned into the demon.

“Locked?”

“Father locked her in one of the cells,” Lucifer shrugged. “Centuries ago.”

Barely comprehending anything, Kat asked, dumbfounded, “For what?”

The man scoffed, his brows pinching as he gave her another shrug, this time, wordless. She felt his energy starting to get out of control again and decided against pushing Lucifer for more details. The girl quietly moved closer to the demon and ran her fingers over the feathers of his large, powerful wings, feeling its softness under her gentle touch. Slowly, her hand moved to caress the skin of his forehand, naked as the sleeves of his black shirt were rolled up.

Once again, she looked at his tattoos thinking of how the demon got them, and if he went to a tattoo-salon on Earth. Somehow, this last thought made her lips curl slightly up in a small smile, and Lucifer raised an eyebrow.

“Glad my life seems so entertaining to you, Unclaimed.”

Kat ignored his dispassionate sarcasm and focused on the feeling his closeness brought. Now that they weren’t arguing, their energies were floating freely, touching each other gently. Lucifer’s breathing deepened as she leaned closer, her face a breath away from his.

“Am I dreaming?” the demon smirked with a slight raise of his eyebrows. Seeing Kat’s uncomprehending expression, he explained, “You said ‘in your dreams’.”

Slowly, she realized what he was talking about rolling her eyes but not moving away. Her fingertips tickled with excitement when the demon slowly moved his hand from the bed and pressed it to the small of her back, pulling her closer but not close enough for their lips to touch. It was different from all other times they were alone, and she couldn’t tell how she felt about this strange peacefulness that fell onto them.

Lucifer’s arm wrapped tighter around the girl’s waist as he felt the shift in her energy that she wasn’t unable to control yet. He felt the quiet panic rising from somewhere deep inside of her chest and spreading through her, coursing through her veins as her pulse quickened.

She swallowed hard as the demon stared into her eyes, sudden tension replacing the serenity of the previous moment. Kat’s glance flickered to the man’s lips for a split of a second, and a hot wave washed over his body when her darkened gaze returned to meet his. In one swift movement, he pulled the redhead on top of him, their heartbeats mix as her chest pressed into his, and his mouth finally claimed hers.

Without giving him any time, she deepened the kiss, tilting her head and pushing her fingers through the strands of his thick, dark hair, the calm has completely gone, now replaced with impatient anticipation. She threw her long leg over his thighs to get even closer and pushed the man harder against the pillows, her weight pinning him down as the Unclaimed pressed her palms into Lucifer’s shoulders, nails digging into his skin through the smooth fabric of his shirt.

This sudden closeness scared her breathless. Whatever was going on between her and the demon was a lot on its own, she couldn’t handle this sudden feeling of intimacy that was there a few moments ago, couldn’t handle the gentleness in his sparkling red eyes. It was too much, and there wasn’t enough strength in her body to deal with it now.

It was Lucifer. It should’ve been simple. Easy.

She needed easy. Her head was spinning, everything was happening too fast, she felt like she was drowning in a sea of secrets and fears, and temptations she couldn’t resist.

Shifting in his lap, the girl felt Lucifer’s hard length press against her, and a soft moan escaped her lips caught in the man’s mouth. His hands gripped her hips making her move against him again, and she obeyed immediately, eagerly, making him groan into the kiss.

This was all she needed, Lucifer’s hot body pressed against her, his energy entwining with her own, dripping into her as she unconsciously let her newfound power take control.

“Sorry,” Kat whispered hoarsely as she moved her lips down Lucifer’s neck, nipping on the skin of his throat. “You make me lose control.”

Her words hung heavy in the air, filled with dark, viscous power.

He snapped his eyes open, wild and bright-red, his breathing ragged. She felt the power of his energy run through her, coursing through her veins, setting her entire body ablaze, and it made her drunk. Her mind went hazy, barely registering anything but the man’s body under her, and the heavy rising and falling of his chest, and the hotness of his skin.

“No,” the demon whispered back brokenly, his voice low and husky as she pressed herself harder against him. “Don’t hold back.”

As if waiting for his permission, she finally let herself go. With a quick, pointed movement she grabbed his shirt, tearing it in two, sending the button fly across the room, using the strength she took from him. Somehow, she didn’t need to focus, didn’t need to figure out how to do it – she just _knew_.

She had no idea what kind of power the man held and how to use it, letting her mind shut down and give the reins of control to her body that couldn’t wait any longer. Everything else was pushed aside, thrown into the ‘I’ll think about it tomorrow’ pile as Kat’s hands worked to unbuckle the belt on Lucifer’s pants while her mouth moved down his bare chest leaving a wet trail of kisses and bites behind.

A low growl reverberated in the back of his throat when she finally yanked his pants down his thighs, and her lips wrapped around him, sucking him as deep into her mouth as she could in that position, her fingers digging into his hipbones.

“Fucking hell,” he chocked when she took him fully and his head pressed against her throat, her teeth scraping his base at the verge between pleasure and pain.

She withdrew herself off of him and shifted down his legs freeing his legs from the pants, her movements hasty and abrupt. Still fully clothed, she pushed his legs apart to sit between them, her knees pressed into the mattress firmly as she lowered her face to take him into her mouth again, gliding her tongue all the way down to the base of his cock.

Sucking air through his clenched hands moved to take hold of her long messy curls, wrapping it around his fist to control her movements. He pulled her hair not too gently, and she tilted her head up glancing at him, her mouth around him, her eyes wide and wet. Without breaking the eye contact, she took him deeper, all the way down, swallowing hard.

He throbbed deep in her throat, his head lolling back involuntarily as his hips bucked up and his hand pressed the girl’s head harder against him, keeping her in place as he moved erratically, fucking her face roughly, the sounds of his pleasure blending with the noises she made. The Unclaimed moved her hand up his torso, her nails scraping his hot sensitive skin until her fingers reached his neck, wrapping around it tightly.

She didn’t know how it was possible they didn’t get caught yet, the air around them was sparkling with electricity. Their energies were out of control, clashing and colliding together like tsunami waves, unstoppable, destroying everything around – and yet, magnificent.

With a glutaral groan, he pulled her off of himself, catching a moan of protest with his lips as he leaned to meet her mouth in a deep, painful kiss. She hated every inch of her clothing that was covering her body from his blazing stare, and he ripped it off of her almost setting the girl on fire.

The scent of smoke became heavier, thicker, and Kat felt a hot wave run over her skin.

“Is that… your power?” she asked barely moving her tongue, so intoxicated with him she wouldn’t care if he made a bonfire out of her body.

“Part of it,” he breathed out, pulling her tight pants down her long legs, his stare caressing her flesh along with his firm hands that moved up her inner thighs making her back arch.

“Hot,” she wheezed out, clenching her fingers on his hair when his tongue ran a stripe against her, tasting her, making her body shiver and writhe under his touch.

Before her eyes fell shut, she saw the flames playing in his red ones, and then two of his fingers pushed inside of her, filling her head with fireworks, her entire being squeezed to the size of her pulsing centre. His hot, demanding mouth filled with her, her desire dripping off his chin. The fingers of his free hand dug into her side, leaving half-moons of his nails on her skin. His scent that filled up her lungs, became a part of her own.

And hunger pouring out of his wild, mad eyes.

She pulled the demon up, wrapping her legs around his waist, feeling him press against her. his heart was hammering against her chest when she pushed her hips up pleadingly.

“I…can’t… wait… anymore.”

Her broken whine, her red swollen lips, her nails dug into his back, her blown pupils drove him almost insane when the demon pushed inside of her abruptly, forcefully, making them both gasp and growl when her walls clenched around him.

“Hell,” Lucifer’s body trembled, a wave of shivers running through his spine, turning the man into a demon.

He froze, his changed body hovering above the Unclaimed who looked at him through the haze of lust, barely seeing anything around her at all. He didn’t move and she pushed her body against his, ripping a surprised moan out of him before he managed to grasp her shoulders and stop her.

“What is it?” she asked through the ragged breath, finally focusing enough to feel the shift in his energy.

Focusing her eyes, she finally saw the demon’s face mere inches away from her own, dark grey with red veins running across his cheeks and forehead, flickers of hellfire playing in his eyes. He breathed deeply trying to calm down enough to turn back, and she moved her hands to his cheeks before pulling him closer to kiss his blood-red lips.

Her legs wrapped around him even tighter, and he felt his power sink into the girl for a second that she needed to flip their positions. Now, sitting on top of the monster, she grabbed his large hands by the wrists pinning them down above Lucifer’s head.

He didn’t find the words to say when she buried her face in the crook of his neck and began to move on him, driving him farther and farther away from the room, from the Academy, from everything that he knew, everything he ever thought to be true.

Kat’s eyes fell shut, and she missed the moment the demon beneath her turned back into the man, only felt his hands free from her grasp and move to hold onto her, to press her even closer to him as his body started to tremble. Blindly, she found his lips, drowning in sensations of him inside and all around her, absorbed in him completely.

Lucifer cursed under his breath and rolled over, switching their positions once again and spreading her legs wild, as his hands pressed her knees into the mattress, each of his thrusts now making her scream and shudder as she clenched her fingers on the man’s shoulders the moment he leaned closer to suck her nipple into his mouth scraping his teeth over the sensitive bud.

Her nails clawed into his neck, and the demon growled in satisfaction.

“Touch yourself,” he ordered, his relief so close he could barely hold any longer.

She moved one hand to circle her clit, and he caught her cry with his mouth when she exploded all over him, sucking him deeper inside, dripping over him, because of him… _for_ him. The thought struck through him, sending him over the edge just a moment after her with the final thrust of his hips.

Still caught in the aftershocks, still trembling under him, the Unclaimed caught him in her arms, covering with kisses every inch of his skin that she could reach, his protruding cheekbones, his stubborn jawline. The redhead kissed his closed eyelids letting him come down from his high in the warmth of her touch until he was finally able to pull himself off of her and roll onto his back, still panting.

This was the moment he usually left – or asked his rendezvous to get the hell out of his room.

But it was different this time. He _wanted_ to be able to tell her to leave, but there was not a single chance he was going to say it. There wasn’t a single chance he’ll willingly let go of her.

Irritated with himself, the demon glanced at Kat. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and to his surprise, he spotted a flicker of amusement in her green eyes.

“What?” he gave the girl an eye-roll, and she chuckled.

“Your face is like a huge banner on Times Square,” the girl responded with a smirk. “Relax, I’ll save you the trouble and leave myself. Though I’m pretty sure I’m already late.”

She threw her wet, messy hair over her shoulder and sat up, stretching her legs, and before Lucifer could’ve taken control over his own body, he saw his hands grab her shoulders, pulling the redhead back onto her back. She arched her brow as the demon hovered above her, “Oh?”

“Shut up.”

He lied down next to her, their shoulders touching.

Kat obeyed for exactly five seconds before propping herself on her elbow.

“Where is she?”

“Who?” the demon turned his head to get a better look of the Unclaimed.

“You know who. You said Satan locked her up somewhere in Hell. Do you know where? And for what?”

Lucifer’s face twisted in annoyance as the demon sat up and wrapped his arms around his chest defensively.

“I regret not kicking you out when I had a chance.”

“Too bad it’s too late for that now,” the cheerfulness of her voice made the demon scowl. “People talk after sex. Unless they’re old. Then, they fall asleep.”

“I seriously doubt even humans are fucked up enough to discuss their parents after they fucked each other breathlessly.”

The Unclaimed stared at him for a moment and then, she laughed. This was the first time he’s ever heard her laugh because of him. In all the time he’s known her, she only laughed when Adi and Sammy were around as if her good mood was reserved for those two only. And now, the demon didn’t know what to do with this strange warmth spreading over his chest as he watched the girl brush away the tears prickled in the corners of her eyes, still giggling.

Finally, she managed to calm down, but a small smile was still curling her lips upwards when she spoke.

“I know you’re trying to protect yourself,” she moved closer as if wanting to touch him, but her hands remained still on her lap. “But sooner or later, you’ll have to deal with it.”

“Not if my father finds a reason to snap my neck before then,” Lucifer half-joked watching the redhead as she slowly got up and looked around, spotting the remnants of her clothes.

She picked up her leggings ripped in half and showed it to the man.

“Oops,” he chuckled, and she threw the ruined piece of clothing at him. “There should be something in the closet.”

With a roll of her eyes, Kat followed the advice and put on one of his shirts and wrapped a belt around her waist turning it into an outfit he once saw on a mortal during one of his assignments. _Looks so much better on the Unclaimed_. She slipped her feet back into her shoes and picked up the book that fell onto the floor.

“What’s next,” Lucifer relaxed back against the pillows.

“I’ll speak to Geralt,” Kat frowned ever so slightly ignoring her inner voice whispering that her teacher will feel Lucifer’s energy lingering on her the moment she steps into his office. “I’ve got to figure out why he never told me about… any of this.”

She stopped next to the bed, uncertainty restraining her body from moving closer. What was she going to do? Kiss him as if they were a couple? She shrugged it off and stepped backwards, not noticing a flicker of disappointment in the red eyes, and left the room holding the heavy manuscript close to her chest.

She wished she could just fly to her room but if anyone saw her flying out of Lucifer’s window… Kat chuckled nervously and sped up, hoping to get to her quarters before someone sees her _very progressive_ outfit. She could still feel the heat of his body when she moved down the stairs and across the Main Hall, could still taste his hungry kisses, could still smell the firepit smoke and heavy herbs scent of his energy.

“Uh,” she stumbled into someone, so caught up in her thoughts she never noticed Dino who just turned one of the corners.

The angel’s face turned into a grimace the moment he saw the girl.

“You,” he spat out, a look of disgust altering his undoubtedly beautiful features. “Get out of the way.”

Kat’s reaction was immediate, the tone of his voice flaring her up at the same moment.

“How about you start watching where you’re going, a _ngel_?” she said the last word with so much disgust as if instead of a man there was a giant worm standing in front of her.

Before they could continue, one of the classroom doors flew open, and Geralt stepped into the Hall, his eyes cold.

“If it’s not too much to ask,” his voice was dripping with venom. “Could the two of you be so kind and to take this somewhere else?”

His gaze stopped on Kat’s outfit, and she felt her skin flush under his heavy look that made her heart drop. Without a word, the man stepped back into his class and slammed the door, leaving her and Dino alone. The angel muttered something and moved past the girl, shouldering her on the way but she didn’t even notice.

The only thing she could think of was the heavy disappointment lingering in the air that made her want to disappear completely.


	21. Too close to touch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a slow update 🙈  
> If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a [Lucifer oneshot](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29022822)

Fighting back the initial urge to follow the demon, Kat staggered back. She couldn’t just walk into the classroom full of immortals wearing Lucifer’s shirt for a dress, with her energy all rattled. No matter how much she wanted to run after her teacher, she couldn’t do that to him.

The girl wrapped her arms around herself as if she suddenly got cold and took a few deep breaths to calm down. What the hell was she doing?

“Oh, Kat?” Misselina’s voice made her spin around. “Is everything okay with you dear?”

The angel woman stood just behind her, a worry written all over her open face.

“Yeah, perfectly fine,” the redhead cocked her head stubbornly as she remembered Geralt’s lessons on controlling her energy.

It was easy, just to remember his low, velvety voice with raspy notes telling her to relax and imagine her energy as soft ocean waves barely grazing the shore in light, gentle movements. A moment later, she snapped her eyes opened and stared down at the woman, almost challenging her to say something.

Being an angel, Misselina couldn’t stop herself from sticking her nose into things that did not concern her.

“I’m worried about you, child,” she glanced at the girl’s outfit unapprovingly.

“Are you now?” Kat’s eyes narrowed. “That’s funny.”

“Of course, I am,” the woman took a small step towards the Unclaimed and placed a hand to her forearm. “You’ve distanced yourself from your classmates, Andy says…”

“Andy says?”

She shook the angel’s hand off herself and tilted towards Misselina menacingly. Where was her concern when she almost got killed? Where was her concern when she was forced to tell someone’s husband to kill himself? Where was her concern when asshole Dino used his powers against her outside the class, and the only reason he stopped was that he’s heard Adi and Sammy walking their way?

And where was her concern when she threw herself out that window, taking away her own life?

The classroom door swung open letting out a bunch of angel students followed by their teacher. Yet again, her face flushed red with embarrassment, and she wished for Misselina to go straight to Hell and never return. Geralt’s eyes moved from one woman to another, and he arched an eyebrow wrapping his arms over his chest.

“May I help you with something?”

And then, she felt it. Just a tingle of sensation, a small shift in the air that suddenly smelled of some kind of flowers. Her eyes fell heavily on the woman in front of her.

_She wanted him._

The realization dawned on the redhead as she continued staring at the angel. Misselina seemed calm as usual, but that tiny shift in her energy along with the light blush on the apples of her cheeks spoke louder than any words could. That angelic bitch wanted Geralt.

“Yes,” Kat’s mouth opened before she could’ve stopped herself. “I’m here about my assignment.”

“Oh,” Misselina stepped slightly back. “Then I won’t interrupt.”

As the woman turned the corner and disappeared from their sight, the demon tilted his head to his side, studying the girl in front of him. There was no need for him to use his powers on her for her body to go limp, the stare of his icy-blue eyes was enough. The man pointed towards the classroom.

“Come in, then.”

She blinked at him and shook her head, “No.”

“No?”

She sighed, shifting on her feet. How was she supposed to tell him that just the thought of him and the angel made her stomach tighten into knots and her heart pound heavily in her chest? How was she supposed to tell him that ever since she got there, he was the only one she trusted completely? The only one she allowed to see her weakness… the only one who brought up the side of her that she tried to bury deep inside but failed.

How was she supposed to tell him that he wanted him for herself, _all_ of him? Her teacher, a demon, someone who managed to give her strength even when she thought she was empty.

Her hands clenched on the hems of Lucifer’s shirt. How could she want from him something that she herself was unable to give? Whatever it was for Satan’s son, it wasn’t a momentarily fling for her. And yet, there she was, barely holding herself together at just a possibility of someone else being with the man she herself couldn’t have.

“Get inside,” Geralt said finally, and there wasn’t any doubt that it was an order, not an invitation.

The sound of her heels clicking on the floor bounced off the walls as the girl moved past him and walked between the two rows of desks making her way towards the small backroom. The demon slammed the classroom door shut and followed her there, wordlessly, only stopping by his desk to grab one of the scrolls sitting in the drawer.

“Sit down,” he nodded at the chair behind his desk, the only available horizontal space in the stuffed room.

She didn’t need supernatural powers to know he was angry with her. Not just angry – disappointed. As if he thought of her better than she was, and it made her insides twist into knots of guilt and shame.

“Next time consider being less obvious,” he barked and threw the scroll onto the desk, and it slid across it and fell onto the floor.

Kat’s eyes snapped at the man, and there was just one thing she could do to ease the tension that stiffened her body.

“Tell this to your friend,” she jumped to her feet, unable to keep staring up at the demon.

Her words took Geralt aback.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he wrapped his arms over his chest tiredly and perched himself against the side of the table.

Suddenly, he looked more tired than anything else, and the Unclaimed remembered that he’s been up since early morning, first training her and then teaching. A pang of guilt stung her heart when she realized that the heavy feeling of disappointment wasn’t pointed at her. He was disappointed in himself, and the thought of him feeling that way threw cold water at her.

“Nothing,” she bit the tip of her tongue. “I’m sorry.”

He didn’t expect her to back down so easily as if someone took the battery out of her. The girl leaned against the side of the desk next to him tiredly and wrapped her arms around herself. It was such an earthy gesture, as of she was cold and forgot how to warm herself up, his hand trembled almost reaching to her.

The man stopped himself and just asserted his student with a sharp look of his piercing eyes. The quietness of the room was only disturbed with the sounds of her breathing and distant voices coming from outside the window.

“When was the last time you ate?” he asked suddenly, his voice calm.

Kat shrugged, “Yesterday, I think?”

The question in her voice made him shook his head ever so slightly. He fought back an urge to give her a sarcastic comment and pushed himself off the desk.

“Go to the kitchen and have something to eat,” the fatigue in her teacher’s voice was so audible she couldn’t bear it.

Unable to control her own body, she followed his movement and stepped closer to the demon, pressing her face against his chest as her arms wrapped around his waist. He turned into a statue under her touch. All his muscles stiffened, his back straightened painfully as if he swallowed an iron pole.

This wasn’t their first embrace, but somehow, it shook them both. It felt strange, awkward, out of place – but instead of letting him go, the girl pressed her hands even harder into the demon’s back, her fingers clenching on his robe. He kept his energy under control but doing so he forgot about his heart that was beating hard against her chest.

She could feel his tiredness as her own as he just stood there, his arms limp on both sides of the man. Now, she regretted only one thing: that she could only take. Why did her power have to be that? Why couldn’t she _give_?

Thoughts were rushing through her mind, stumbling and colliding over one another like a brought about hornets’ nest as they stood in silence for so long, her legs went numb. And yet, she refused to move. She refused to unwrap her arms and let him go, refused to accept that her recklessness was pointless, refused to think of what was going to happen to them next. Right there and then, it didn’t matter.

Maybe, tomorrow, in the bright light of a new day – but not then. Not when the skies outside the window slowly colored deep blue, not when the stars and the floating lights shone surreptitiously all around them. Not when his breathing became deeper, and the rising and falling of his chest made her own body move along.

Before she changed her mind, before she could even think about what she was doing, her hands moved up, trailing the planes and the lines of Geralt’s body hidden under his usual robe. When her fingers reached the belts on his neck, she finally let her eyes travel up to meet his heavy stare, and her breath got caught in her throat. Swallowing hard, she pushed her fingers into her teacher’s hair, a tiny part of her mind noticing how soft the short black strands were.

“What do you think you’re doing?” his voice almost trembled when she pulled on his hair slightly.

Almost.

“This,” she whispered, not trusting her own voice not to break.

As her hands kept hold of him, she slowly tilted her head to press a light kiss to the side of his jaw, the scent of leather becoming stronger as she moved slowly down to his throat.

For the first time since they’ve met, he seemed not to know what to do.

He knew so well how to save her from herself, how to push her to go further when she was ready to give up, how to calm her down when she couldn’t control her emotions. But now, his mind went clean. There was no single coherent thought in his head, not when her burning hot breath ghosted so close to his lips that it seemed they were breathing the same air. Not when her thumbs moved gently in small circles caressing the skin on the back of his neck. Not when her pounding heart was beating so loudly against his chest that its sound was almost deafening.

In the quietness of the room, every little noise they made seemed so much louder.

Kat shifted slightly from one foot to the other, and the clicking of her heels against the floor bounced off the walls and hung in the air as she finally found the strength to look in the icy-blue eyes again. The air around them was heavy with tension, so heavy it was weighing down on her shoulders, and she had to will herself to keep her back straight as her fingers fluttered lightly over the man’s cheekbones.

“You should stop me.”

She said those words with the seriousness he only heard in her voice once when she told him that will die but figure out a way for her friends to love each other without constant fear, even if it meant fighting Heaven and Hell and anyone who gets in her way. Even if it will become the last thing she ever does.

“If you don’t stop me, I’ll do something that you might regret,” she continued trailing her thumb over his bottom lip that suddenly went dry. “Stop me, because I can’t stop myself.”

Against his will, his eyes fluttered to her mouth, and her lips parted involuntarily letting out a small sigh before she pushed herself into the demon, closing any remaining space between their bodies. She drowned in a wave of his energy as his mouth crashed against her own, the smell of ozone and lightning filling the air, carrying them both away.

He kissed her like no one ever had before, his hands grasping on her sides tightly as his desire finally broke free. Shamelessly, she moaned into his mouth, rubbing herself against him like a large cat asking for necking, the sound drowning somewhere in his throat. In one swift, forceful movement he pushed her up and spun them both around, her legs wrapping around the demon’s hips the same moment he pressed her against the wall, her wings spreading under the impact.

His lips burned against her, the fire spreading from deep within him when he grabbed her hands that were wrapped around his neck and pinned them above her head, pressing his body harder against her.

Her body trembled, caught up in a whirlwind of thrills, needing more, needing everything that he had. Arching herself into him, she threw her head back, exposing her neck to his ravenous kisses and bites that turned each cell of her body into naked nerves and her blood into the lava.

Under the tsunami of sensations, they barely noticed anything but each other until a loud roar broke through the thick haze of desire.

“Fyr?”

Kat slipped onto her feet and rushed to the window to look at the dragon floating just outside it.

“What are you doing here?”

The dragon snorted loudly and pushed his scaly head inside to nudge the girl. She scratched behind his ear, but Fyr only snorted again.

“What is it, boy?’ the redhead turned to her teacher helplessly, and the man stepped closer, watching the animal for a few short moments.

“He wants to show you something, right?”

Fyr grabbed Kat’s sleeve between his teeth and pulled.

“Um,” her face went bright red. “I guess I should follow.”

 _There’s hardly another way to make everything this awkward_ , she mentally kicked herself off the Old Tower. Not looking back, she climbed onto the windowsill and glanced at the dragon who was ready to take off any second now, “Catch me, you little party crasher.”

She jumped out of the window, and the dragon dived down the same second. Landing onto his back, the girl hugged his neck and pressed her burning face against it, forcing herself not to give in and throw the last glance at the man in the window.

“This better be important,” she whispered as the dragon cut through the heavy clouds.

The flight didn’t take long, even though it seemed like forever as she was drowning in her thoughts about what just happened between her and Geralt. She regretted nothing – but what about him? What was he feeling now that she wasn’t around, and he had time to think about everything? He knew about her and Lucifer, knew what she did – and probably, knew what she felt, too.

Would he believe if she told him that whatever she feels for Satan’s son doesn’t change the way she feels about Geralt himself? Would he laugh in her face if she ever told him that? Would he make her choose? Would he just tell her it was all just a mistake, and he doesn’t want her that way?

Suddenly, Fyr dived under one of the clouds, and the Unclaimed saw a large floating cliff that looked more like an island, all covered in trees that she’s never seen before. They started descending, and the lush leaves brushed her legs as they landed not too far from a clearing. She could see several figures in robes and a few lights, and somehow, she just knew that she had to be as quiet as possible.

Her memory threw a picture at her: she, reading the book about magical creatures that Lucifer gave her. Frowning, the girl remembered one of the paragraphs and glanced at the dragon who lied down next to her feet and was now watching her curiously.

“I’ll take a bit of your magic now, okay?” the girl whispered, unsure it was actually going to work. “Stay quiet.”

Unlike angels and demons, she couldn’t hide her energy. But Fyr could. At least, that’s what the book said.

Kat took a small breath to calm down and put her hand onto the dragon’s side, focusing only on the creature. Slowly, she felt tingling sensations running through her fingers and up her arm, filling her with unfamiliar magic.

“Good boy,” she whispered, hoping that whatever she was doing would work, and carefully moved closer to the edge of the clearing.

She didn’t know for how long Fyr’s powers will hide her energy – and if it actually worked at all but was sure she only had a few short minutes that she couldn’t waste on doubts. The voices became louder, and she immediately recognized one.

“She doesn’t belong here,” the voice continued, and Kat’s stomach tightened into a painful knot. “And I know how to get rid of her.”

One of the lights fell on the man’s face, and the girl saw a crooked smile spreading over Dino’s face.


	22. Time’s killing all the faith I know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, took me a while to update but here’s a [Dracula oneshot](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29251680)

Kat’s heart was pounding out of her chest when she finally got to her room and crashed onto the bed tiredly. Fatigue took over her body. Since the first day at the Academy, she was always on high-alert, never having a moment of peace, and it seemed to be finally catching up to her. Growling into the soft pillow cover, she thought about everything that had happened since the day she died.

The Academy. Angels and demons. Friendships and rivalries. Mortal danger and unknown strength. Secrets and revelations. And interminable loneliness.

Dino was right about it: she didn’t belong there. No matter how much she tried, she kept failing. Every time she thought she was making progress, she ran into yet another dead-end. She couldn’t help her friends to be together, couldn’t figure out why Fencio hated her enough to wish her dead, couldn’t even make sense of her own feeling that made her drift between Lucifer and Geralt like a fallen leaf in a current of a river.

She straightened up and started undressing when her eyes fell onto the desk in the corner of the room. Forgetting about everything else, she jumped to her feet and walked across the room kicking off her shoes.

She picked the scroll up and a small piece of paper fell to her feet.

_Don’t let anyone see this._

She didn’t know how but she recognized Geralt’s handwriting even though she never saw it before. Sharp, fast lines entwining in a cobweb. He must’ve left it while she was gone, a thought ran through Kat’s head as she unwrapped the scroll, and her eyes started running through the lines of text.

_A long time ago, angel Drazol…_

She frowned, and her teeth dug into her bottom lip. This was the name of the demon that Lucifer told her about – or, rather, made her read about. There wasn’t too much information in the book, only a basic description of his power and recommendations not to ever let him out of his cell in Hell. Unlike the book, the scroll held more information than she could ever care to find out.

All the immortals he killed while serving Satan. All the wars on Earth he caused.

And the story of an angel who turned into a demon.

Growing up, she wasn’t religious, but she remembered an old tale of a fallen angel who became the king of Hell. It turned out not to be even slightly the case, and somehow, it made her believe that things like that don’t ever happen. Angels and demons stay the same till the last second of their lives.

Kat lowered herself onto a chair that sat next to the desk. _Being Shepha’s close confidant, Drazol served faithfully for half-time the world existed until one day a mortal affair with a demon brought him to a path no one knew existed._

“Even back then,” the Unclaimed said to herself. “Even back then it was forbidden. Why?”

She looked around the empty room as if expecting to hear an answer. Her head was splitting in half with pain, and she put the scroll down, pressing her fingers to her pulsing temples. First, she learns that Dino came up with an elaborate plan to get her kicked out of school. Then, this. How much more she’d be able to take until she’s so full she explodes into million pieces?

Getting to her feet, she finally pulled Lucifer’s shirt off and went to the bathroom hoping that a hot shower will help with the throbbing pain in her brain.

She knew she was just stalling and that she’ll have to read the entire thing sooner rather than later – but she needed at least one moment to catch her breath. Just half an hour ago she thought Dino’s plan to sabotage her during the next mixed class was her biggest problem. And now, she was about to find out what other horrors this new world had to offer, and something inside her knew that she’ll have to experience them all.

Scrubbing her skin furiously, she let her eyes fall close for a second, and at the same moment memories of the day came crashing all over her. Morning training, then going to Hell with Lucifer… Lucifer. If anyone finds out about them, what’s gonna happen to him?

 _He’s Satan’s son,_ she reminded herself when fear settled in her chest. _They won’t dare touch him_.

The Unclaimed returned to her room and settled in bed with the scroll in her hands. Geralt didn’t want her to show it to anyone, and she fought back the urge to go find Lucifer and read it together. After all, he was the one who told her about Drazol. He was with her, through everything. Sometimes, unwillingly. Sometimes, with an ulterior motive. But every time she needed. Always.

Kat brushed the strands of auburn hair out of her face. She had to find out why her teacher didn’t want anyone else to see this document. After, she will decide whether she should obey the order.

_Drazol was Shepha’s right hand before the Council, before the existence of the Academy, before humans were discovered to be capable of gaining wings. In Harmony, Hell and Heaven existed. Sent to Hell with a message to Satan, Drazol encountered his-_

_His what?_ Kat tried to read the word, but it was crossed so many times she couldn’t make out a single letter.

_Drazol fell victim to her devil charms despite the position she held in Hell. They concealed their relationship until the woman bore-_

Kat stared at the scroll. The entire story reminded her of that ridiculous telenovela she once watched. Two gangs, the guy from one gang gets involved with a woman from another. She gets pregnant, and the guy wears a target on his back until he’s found in the gutters. Except, according to Lucifer, Drazol was still alive and locked up in Hell’s prison.

Her eyes kept fluttering over the lines, bringing more headache. It was unnecessary to blackout any words – she understood everything perfectly. The truth seemed to be so simple and so horrifying, she couldn’t imagine how no one seemed to know anything about it. How long had it passed so everyone just forgot about it?

Slowly, she got up and walked towards the open window. The moon and the stars, and the floating cliffs – everything seemed so familiar, and yet, so distant. As one of the floating lights flew into the room, she realized it: no matter how much she tries, no matter how hard she pretends – she didn’t belong.

It was all just a big mistake. She was supposed to die on that day. She was supposed to move forward, whatever that means, not to get stuck in this eternal hell of her own. Dino hated her because she didn’t appreciate the school. He thought she was an imposter, unworthy of being there – and that’s what she was. She didn’t want to be there despite everything she’s been trying to make herself believe in.

She wanted peace, not this constant battle against everything. She wanted her soul to be free, not trapped in this immortal body that turned out to be even more fragile than the human one. She was supposed to be strong, but she was always tired. She was supposed to be powerful, but it was someone else’s strength. She was supposed to adjust, but all she could do is live one day at a time and hope that she’ll make it through.

The first glimmers of sun hit the horizon when a knock on the door snapped the girl out of her thoughts.

“Go away!”

She couldn’t deal with anyone now, even if it was Shepha himself.

“Kat,” Sammy’s quiet voice coming from behind the thick wooden door softened the lines on her face. “It’s me.”

“Come in.”

The angel looked at her pensively as he closed the door behind himself, “You haven’t slept at all.”

It was a mere statement, so she just shrugged and jumped off the windowsill stretching her sore body. Her head was heavy from the sleepless night, her bloodshot eyes hurt from staring into the space for hours, but she barely paid any attention focusing on her friend.

“Why are you up so early?”

She nodded at her bed, and they both sat down, Sammy’s wing brushing gently against her shoulder.

“I had a dream about you,” the angel said simply.

“Anything interesting?” Kat lifted an eyebrow, and the angel chuckled even though his eyes remained serious.

He turned to face the girl and took her hand into his palm entwining their fingers. His soft gaze sunk through her skin and went deep into her heart as he softly brought his other hand to stroke her cheek. She choked on air, and her eyes watered the same moment, as if the tears were there this whole time, only waiting for a signal to pour out of the Unclaimed.

She rushed to rub her eyes before they could, and Sammy shook his head ever so slightly.

“It’s okay,” he whispered as she struggled to stop the tears from running down her face. “It’s gonna be okay.”

His warm embrace seemed to burst the dam. She cried and couldn’t stop, couldn’t control her own body that was shaking in the angel’s arms.

He stroked her back gently, comfortingly, bringing her the relief she needed, and his heart was breaking for her. She was too young to be so miserable, and he could only wish to be able to do something – anything – to help her carry her burden.

“Hey,” he whispered into her hair as he kissed her temple.

Kat looked up, her eyes still glistering with tears.

“Get dressed. I wanna take you somewhere.”

Wordlessly, she got changed and followed Sammy as he just jumped out of her window spreading his large snow-white wings in the air. A gust of cool wind woke her up, and the girl caught up to her friend.

“Where are we flying?”

The angel smiled, “Somewhere where you’ll be able to see things clearer.”

They landed on one of the floating cliffs and it gently shook under their feet. The girl looked around spotting a familiar lush tree all covered with spheres of light.

“It’s the Thinking Tree,” Sammy flopped on the grass and patted the space next to him.

“Yeah,” Kat bit on her lip unconsciously as the memories overflowed her mind.

This was the place where she kissed Lucifer for the first time. Where she saw his demon face. Where he accused her of not trusting him – and where she realized she’d trusted him the entire time.

She lied down next to the angel resting her head on his shoulder, and he pointed towards the lights.

“Just look at them,” he spoke softly. “Don’t think, just watch the lights. They will help to clear your head.”

Kat remembered the last time and the feeling as if her mind was cleared out for a short while. Back then, she didn’t know it was the tree.

“How does it work?” she asked quietly, her eyes following the flickering of the light lazily.

“Don’t speak,” the angel pressed his cheek against the top of her head. “Just watch.”

All she has been doing since getting into the Academy was thinking, and trying, and fighting. And she was so tired of it. So tired of always having to be doing something, to be against someone, to be someone she didn’t want to be. She had to, but all she wanted was a moment of peace, a moment when she was just a human, just her old self, the one she’d lost that moment her body landed in the middle of a busy street, lifeless.

“Kat,” Sammy squeezed her hand. “Breathe. Let go.”

She shook her head and sat up looking at the angel in defeat. “I can’t.”

She pressed her hands against her temples trying to calm down throbbing pain coursing through her head. With a quiet moan, she sucked the air through her teeth and turned to look at Sammy.

“I’m a lost cost, Sam,” she managed a crooked smile. “Even you can’t help me, my sweet angel.”

Frowning, he reached for her hand.

“I want to show you my dream. Close your eyes and focus.”

The girl nodded shortly and closed her eyes focusing on Sam’s energy, peaceful and fresh, and bright. He was an open book filled with love, and her heart sunk a little at just the thought that the purest creature she ever met couldn’t have the only thing he truly desired.

“Now, focus on my eyes,” he instructed. “You’ll learn to do this on your own but for now, I will guide you. Don’t think about anything, imagine my eyes are two tunnels. Move further in until you can see the picture.”

And there she was. She and Lucifer sat on a bench under the statue of Harmony, his arm wrapped around her shoulders casually. Kat from Sammy’s dream looked up and saw the angel wrapped in Adi’s embrace in the middle of the school’s courtyard, and a small smile touched her lips. The dark-haired man leaned into his boyfriend and placed a soft kiss on his lips, freely.

Kat’s eyes snapped open.

“Does this-“

“Prophetic dreams are not always what they seem,” the angel stroked a strand of hair out of her face. “But they’re always true. One way or another.”

“Is it possible?” the redhead still felt the warmth of Lucifer’s body against her. She couldn’t explain how, but she could _feel_ the demon from Sammy’s dream, could smell his scent, and for a moment, guilt crashed over her.

“Just not long ago I would’ve said it wasn’t,” his light-blue eyes burned into the girl. “But I didn’t know you then.”

Swallowing hard, Kat ran her hand through the messy curls of her hair. She still didn’t have time to tell the angel about her powers. She wanted to protect him and Adi, but now the demon knew, she couldn’t hide it from his boyfriend – and couldn’t ask Adi to hide it either.

“I need to tell you something,” she shook her head. “Or rather, show you.”

She put her hand on the angel’s knee and imagined his power leaving his body and sinking into her through the tips of her fingers that started prickling with electricity. Sammy’s eyes widened as he felt it, and Kat slowly moved her palm off his knee.

“Apparently, this is my power,” she said quietly not meeting his gaze. “I can steal powers of other immortals. I guess you were wrong about me. I can’t be an angel.”

She lowered her eyes. She thought so much about this, she felt like a broken record repeating these words again and again.

“Look at me,” the angel lifted her chin with his fingers gently. “Doesn’t matter what your power is. The only thing that counts is how you use it.”

“You truly are an angel,” she said quietly, and her friend chuckled.

“Guilty,” he pulled the redhead into a hug. “Does Adi-“

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I told him yesterday. No one else knows but you two, Geralt and… Lucifer.”

“Lucifer?” Sammy’s brows furrowed. “It’s getting serious between you two.”

The girl chuckled, “I wouldn’t go that far.”

The girl went quiet looking at the pink and golden clouds floating by. She couldn’t shake off the feeling of guilt that’s been haunting her since the second she read the scroll. There was no need for Geralt to remind her to keep it to herself – she would’ve never shown it to anyone without his permission. But he did because he knew that she won’t be able to keep it a secret from the one who’s been affected by what was in the old writing.

“Can I ask you something?” she finally looked up at Sammy.

“Anything.”

Swallowing a sudden lump in her throat, the girl continued, “If you knew something that could’ve changed everything but was asked not to tell anyone… but you knew that someone had the right to know… even though it involves many risks… what would you do?”

Sammy lowered his face and pressed his lips to the girl’s forehead, “I think you know what to do.”

Their flight back to school and her walk through the dorm part of the building was all a haze. What she was going to do went against any reasonings, and it was going to change everything, for many of them. And yet, she was doing it. Sammy was right, she knew what to do the moment she read the last line of that scroll.

“What the hell, Unclaimed?” the demon looked at her in annoyance as he tried to smooth out his ruffled bed hair. “It’s too early for whatever crisis you’re having this time.”

Kat pushed herself into the room and locked the door behind herself, “Read this,” she passed him the scroll. “And no matter what you’re going to feel after you’re finished, promise to stay in this room and don’t do anything.”

“What are you on about?”

“Promise me or I’ll tie you up and use your own powers against you.”

“Oh?” His red eyes sparkled mischievously. “Freaky.”

Kat grabbed his wrist, and the man rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

She watched him as he leaned against the bookshelves, reading. His gaze fluttered over the text, and she saw the moment when the realization hit him and made his eyes crimson-red and ablaze. He looked up, his jaw set, and cheekbones protruded.

“This is impossible,” the words came out as a growl.

“I think it’s true,” the girl said helplessly. “You have a brother, Lucifer.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you like this story, leave comments and kudos, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0VzLVH3jbemZ0JZjEsGydj?si=t2tqjBeeT0OOo1zCtO025w


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